Rain Dried By White Moon
by angelaxoxo
Summary: Ichigo Kurosaki had always thought he was healthy until he finds his wife cheating on him. After nearly killing the man, Ichigo is sent to a mental hospital where he meets many others like him, including the beautiful but misunderstood Rukia Kuchiki and his life is changed forever.
1. The Fire

**I got the idea for this story after re-watching Silver Linings Playbook. Such a good movie and Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper are great actors ^_^**

Chapter 1

The Fire

"OK, breathe in and out," Ichigo Kurosaki said as he pressed the stethoscope against the patient's chest and listened to the perpetual beating of his heart. _Ba-DUM Ba-DUM Ba-DUM_.

His patient, a blonde man, inhaled and exhaled. Ichigo could faintly hear sniffles.

"I don't think I've ever seen you before," Ichigo said. He removed the earpieces from his ears and set the stethoscope aside.

The man shook his head. "I just moved here a week ago."

"That makes sense," Ichigo said. "What was your name again?"

"Kira, Izuru."

Ichigo slipped his hands into the pocket of his white lab coat. "Now tell me, Izuru, do you have insurance?"

Izuru shook his head and smiled. "Never needed it."

Ichigo paced around the room. "Izuru, let me tell you a story about a man named Pizuru who had no insurance."

"Me."

Ichigo ignored Izuru. "Pizuru sadly, had idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and needed a lung transplant. But since he didn't have insurance, he couldn't afford it."

Izuru paled. Ichigo pretended not to notice.

"And since he had such a serious pre-existing condition, no insurance company would cover for him. He died within a few days." Ichigo stopped pacing and sighed. "If only Pizuru had gotten insurance _before_ a doctor diagnosed him!"

There was a troubled look on poor Izuru's face. He got up from the chair and quickly exited the room, clutching his chest. Ichigo heard the door open and then close.

"ICHIGOO..!" Ichigo's father, Isshin, raced into the room and aimed a kick at Ichigo. Ichigo knocked Isshin's foot away.

"What do you want now, old man?"

"I heard what you were telling Izuru!" Isshin scolded. "Is that your way of telling a patient that he was going to die?!"

"Of course not!" Ichigo said. "I'm not _that_ cruel!"

"Then why did you scare him with that insurance story?!"

Ichigo rolled his brown eyes. "The guy didn't have insurance. I was just convincing him to get one."

Isshin blinked. "Oh? Is that so?"

Ichigo nodded with his eyebrow raised, as if to say "Duh."

Isshin leaned against the wall. He crossed his arms. "Did he really need one?"

"Need what?"

"A transplant."

Ichigo laughed. "Nah, all he had was a cold. But who knows, maybe one day Izuru will need a transplant and he'll look back and think, 'Wow, I'm sure glad I listened to Dr. Kurosaki!'"

Isshin chuckled. "I really shouldn't be finding this funny. You're lucky you're a good doctor, otherwise you would've been in deep trouble."

Ichigo smirked. "It also helps that I'm your son."

"Never use that as an excuse," Isshin said. He glanced up at the clock. It was 5:22 PM. "We don't have any more patients today, so you can go home."

Ichigo shrugged off his white coat and hung it up. "OK thanks." Ichigo began making his way out. "Good night old man!"

Ichigo didn't have to look to know that Isshin was smiling. "Night Ichigo! Tell Orihime I said 'hi!'"

Ichigo instantly smiled as he thought about his beautiful, loving, orange haired wife. "I will."

When Ichigo stepped outside and closed the door behind him, he was met with a peaceful autumn breeze. Autumn was by far Ichigo's favorite season. Winter was too cold and the snow also turned into disgusting, gray mush. Spring was pretty with all the brightly colored flowers, but the weather shifted too often and all the sneezing from allergies annoyed Ichigo. Summer was always uncomfortably hot. In Autumn, it was never too hot nor too cold and the splash of red, orange, and yellow on the trees and ground brought peace to Ichigo's mind.

Ichigo got into his black Toyota. As he buckled his seat belt, he glanced at the sign that read "Kurosaki Clinic." Ichigo's gaze softened. The house he grew up in was attached to the clinic. One of the benefits of working for his father was that Ichigo would never have to worry about being homesick. Ichigo reminisced the many joyful nights he spent with his father, his younger sisters, and his mother…

The smile fell from Ichigo's face. He suppressed the feeling of loneliness and pushed away the image of that kind smile.

Ichigo inserted the key into the ignition. He twisted the key, causing the car to whir. Ichigo hit the gas pedal.

He drove home slowly. There was no need to rush.

It must have gotten windy outside because the leaves were dancing in the air. It was a beautiful sight, but Ichigo knit his eyebrows. His guts told him that the leaves were trying to send a message. They seemed to be…foreboding something.

Ichigo shrugged. What was he thinking? Of course there wasn't some sort of message. Ichigo was just being superstitious, which was strange since Ichigo never really was.

_Huh, I'm becoming more and more like Orihime._

* * *

Ichigo slowly parked into the driveway of his white colonial house. Ichigo checked his watch as he walked to his front step.

5:46. Ichigo didn't usually get home until 6:30.

Ichigo smiled. Orihime would be pleasantly surprised.

_I'll surprise her even more tonight once we get into bed._

Ichigo opened his door. He was about to call out for Orihime but stopped himself. Ichigo decided that he would scare her instead.

Ichigo slowly shut the door and felt like a kid again. _Where should I hide?_

Ichigo crept up the stairs. When he reached the top, he saw a pink blouse, light blue jeans, and underwear scattered across the floor. Ichigo raised an eyebrow. They were Orihime's clothes.

He stared straight ahead. The bathroom door was ajar and he could see Orihime standing in the shower.

_Come to think of it, we've never showered together before. I better change that._

Smirking, Ichigo unbuttoned his shirt.

He pushed the door open.

The smirk faded almost immediately. A freezing sensation shot through all of Ichigo's veins.

Orihime squeaked in surprise and horror as she pulled away from a muscular man with a shock of blue hair. The man, who had been kneeling down, got up. He was taller than Ichigo and a little more muscular.

He was also naked.

Ichigo felt his stomach churn. There was a liquid that wasn't water dripping from the man's mouth. The man licked the liquid off. While Orihime covered her large breasts and refused to meet Ichigo's brown eyes, the man's piercing blue eyes stared hard at Ichigo. He seemed to be challenging him.

Ichigo saw red.

An intense fire that Ichigo had never felt before erupted in him. The heat was so powerful that Ichigo didn't _feel_ like he was on fire, he _was_ fire.

He was a fire that wanted everything to burn in hell for all of eternity.

Ichigo couldn't remember what happened next. Someone might have said something. All he knew was that he had his hands wrapped around the man's throat.

The man jerked back and ripped Ichigo's hands off. He got into a perfect boxer stance and sent a flurry of punches at Ichigo. Each punch created dark spots around Ichigo's vision and knocked the wind out of him. He heard an unpleasant crack. Despite all that, the pain seemed distant.

Ichigo's anger was overpowering the pain.

Ichigo grabbed the man's arm and twisted it as hard as he could. He heard and felt the bone break. The sound satisfied him slightly.

The man cried out in agony and rage. With his good hand, he grabbed Ichigo's head and pushed him down. There was a rough pounding in Ichigo's head as he was slammed against the porcelain floor. The man straddled Ichigo and punched him across the face.

Ichigo spit at the man's face. His tooth shot into the man's eye, forcing him to back away.

Ichigo lunged forward and tackled into the man. He straddled him and punched his chiseled face with all his might. The man flailed his arms around wildly, but Ichigo refused to let go.

Orihime was screaming for Ichigo to stop. Ichigo felt her arms wrap around his torso. She was trying to pull him off.

Normally, Orihime's touch was more than enough to calm down Ichigo. This time, however, her touch only amplified the rage in the deepest depth of Ichigo's soul. He wanted nothing more than to destroy every inch of the man who stole his wife. No, that was far from enough. He wanted to completely erase the bastard's existence.

Ichigo screamed in rage and continued sending punches at the man, whose face was a bloody mess.

_There's not enough blood_.

_There should be more blood._

Orihime was crying. "STOP, ICHIGO, STOP!"

The man grabbed Ichigo's shoulders. Ichigo pulled them off and punched the man in the head. The man's eyes rolled back.

But Ichigo still didn't stop.

He _couldn't _stop.

It was as if Satan himself was possessing him.

"GRIMMJOW NOO!"

Hearing the man's name cut Ichigo like a sword. He punched even harder, if that was possible. Ichigo could feel the man's body go limp.

The next several minutes were a blur. Strangers in blue uniforms stormed into the bathroom and pulled Ichigo away from the unconscious man. There was a lot of shouting, but Ichigo couldn't hear a single word they said. The shouts pounded in Ichigo's ears.

One of the men tried to handcuff Ichigo. Ichigo wrenched himself away from the man and kneed him where the sun doesn't shine. The man doubled over. Ichigo was about to launch another attack when his companions leaped onto Ichigo. The weight of the men held him down. Ichigo squirmed and cussed. He could still see the fire.

Ichigo felt something sharp sink into his neck and he tumbled into darkness.

* * *

Ichigo stiffly sat in the court room and tugged at the collar of his button down shirt. He stared at Orihime blankly. Orihime was wearing a black blazer and black pencil skirt. She looked beautiful, but her gray eyes wore a serious look. Ichigo was used to seeing his wife smiling.

Orihime was speaking now. Her tone had an edge to it. Ichigo couldn't really comprehend what his wife was saying, except for three words.

_Divorce._

_Restraining order._

Those words stabbed Ichigo and left him in a state of pain and confusion. Orihime loved him, right? They had been happily married for four years. Did she seriously want to leave him?

The rest of the trial moved on painfully slow. Ichigo didn't pay much attention to what the judge was saying. He was focused on Orihime.

Orihime refused to look at him the whole time. Her gaze wouldn't even go to his general direction.

Ichigo's heart shattered. Some of the words the judge said didn't help.

_Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez nearly died._

_Mentally unstable._

_Bipolar disorder._

Ichigo couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was a healthy man! If he was sick, he would know. After all, Ichigo was a _doctor._

Ichigo desperately wanted to protest, but something inside him was preventing him from doing so. Maybe he was hoping that Orihime would change her mind, that she would realize that Ichigo was still the same man she fell in love with.

Or maybe he had already lost hope.

"Kurosaki, Ichigo will live in the psychiatric hospital Las Noches until he recovers," the judge, an elderly man with a long beard, said. He slammed the gavel down.

Two men grabbed Ichigo's arms and practically dragged him out of the room. Ichigo turned his head back.

Orihime had her back turned to him. Even now, she didn't look at him.

Ichigo's head slumped as he waited for his new life without Orihime to begin.

**Short chapter but I hope it is enough to satisfy :)**

**What will Ichigo's new life be like? Tune in next time to find out!**


	2. Mentally Unhealthy

**I know what you're thinking. How did I update so fast?! Before you guys jump to conclusions about my social life, let me tell you that I've been working on this story for some time. By the time I posted the first chapter, I was already almost done with the second.**

**To the people who have been reading my Anime Games story, I deleted it. Sorry to disappoint. I was really excited about writing it at first but after chapter 5, I lost interest. I guess that's what happens when you're not in the fandom. Maybe I'll re-upload it one day but until then, enjoy this story!**

Chapter 2

Mentally Unhealthy

A white car with the words "Las Noches Mental Institution" labeled on it slowed to a stop in front of a tall, white tower. A young woman with a long black braid got out. She stood outside and tapped her foot.

"Mr. Kurosaki, we are here already. Please get out of the car."

Ichigo hesitated and slowly got out of the car. He clutched his brown suitcase tightly and looked up at the tower.

Las Noches was one of the most famous psychiatric hospitals in the world. The head of Las Noches, Sosuke Aizen, had a strange way of running the place. Whatever he did, it worked.

The car drove away. Ichigo stared longingly at it. A part of him wanted to hijack the car and drive away.

"This way, Mr. Kurosaki," his companion, Retsu Unohana said. She attempted to take Ichigo's luggage, but he didn't let her.

"Just call me Ichigo," Ichigo replied.

Ichigo followed Unohana into the building. The layout of the lobby was like any other hospital except, this one was much fancier. The reception desk was made out a creamy colored wood. The chairs, which were a beige color, looked more expensive than Ichigo's couch. A large blue, disco ball shaped light hung from the ceiling.

Unohana pointed at one of the couches. "Wait there while I go check you in."

Ichigo grit his teeth and plopped onto the couch. The cushion groaned under his weight. It was extremely soft. _Am I in a hospital or a hotel?!_

Ichigo crossed his arms behind him and leaned back. He wondered what Orihime was doing. Did she regret cheating on him? What did he even do to deserve this? He hadn't been a bad husband.

Unohana walked up to him. When she saw the expression on his face, she said, "I know you're upset about being here, but we will make your stay as comfortable as possible. Hopefully, you'll be cured in no time. Now, follow me. I'm going to take you to your room."

Stifling a sigh, Ichigo picked up his suitcase and followed Unohana.

Unohana pressed the up button of an elevator. After a few seconds, the door opened. A large man and a young man with blue hair walked out.

The man with blue hair bowed. "Good morning, Miss Unohana!"

Unohana smiled sweetly as she and Ichigo stepped into the elevator. "Good morning, Hanataro! Good morning, Mr. Omaeda!"

The large man, Omaeda, grinned proudly. "I'm going home now, Unohana! I'm cured!"

Unohana beamed. "Congratulations!"

Ichigo felt envious.

The elevator doors closed. Unohana pressed the number 15.

As the elevator moved up, Ichigo asked, "Miss Unohana, how long was that patient here?"

Unohana blinked. "Omaeda? He's been here for about fourteen months. He had an eating disorder."

"How long do you think I'll be here?"

Unohana gave Ichigo a reassuring look. "Don't fret, Mr. Kurosaki, I'm sure you'll be out soon."

"You really don't have to address me so formally," Ichigo said. "I prefer being called 'Ichigo.'"

The elevator slowed until it stopped. The doors slid open. Unohana and Ichigo walked out.

Like the lobby, the hallway reminded Ichigo of a hotel. The doors to each room were painted a different color.

Unohana stopped in front of an orange door. "1510" was the room number. Unohana pulled out the room key and inserted it into the lock. A green light flashed and Unohana opened the door.

"Welcome to your room!"

The room was larger than Ichigo thought it would be. There were two beds which were both neatly fixed. In between the beds was a bedside table. A closet stood on the other side of each bed. A plasma screen TV was stationed in front of the beds. There was a large window that showed a great view of Karakura Town. At the corner of the room was a door which probably led to the bathroom.

_Bathroom._ Ichigo pushed away the image of a naked Orihime and Grimmjow.

The room was simple, but had a luxurious feel to it.

Ichigo was annoyed.

"Are you kidding me?" Ichigo snapped.

Unohana was surprised. "Excuse me?"

"This is a _hospital_," Ichigo said. "Why is this place designed to look like a five star hotel?"

"This is one of Mr. Aizen's ways of helping the sick," Unohana answered calmly. "He believes that if the patients live comfortably, their mind will be more at peace and they will recover sooner."

It _did_ make sense. Ichigo nodded at the second bed. "Why are there two beds? Am I sharing a room with someone?"

Unohana nodded. "Another one of Aizen's strategies is to have the patients get as much company as possible. Loneliness kills, you know."

_Trust me, I know._ "So who's my room mate?" Ichigo placed his suitcase down next to the first bed.

"Hitsugaya, Toshiro," Unohana said. "He's a couple of years younger than you, 27 I think. He's been diagnosed with OCD."

OCD. Obsessive-compulsive Disorder. An anxiety disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts that cause the victim to feel uneasy. People with OCD tended to have strange habits and follow a strict schedule.

"Oh," Ichigo said.

Unohana turned around. "Unpack and get yourself settled. I'm going to come back in half an hour and bring you to your therapist."

Unohana exited the room and shut the door. Ichigo opened his suitcase and pulled out his clothes. He opened the closet and hung his shirts and jackets. He tossed his pants into the drawer beneath the closet.

Ichigo rummaged through his suitcase. He took out his favorite books (_Works of William Shakespeare, The Great Gatsby, _and _1984_) and tucked them neatly in the bedside table drawer. There were other books in there already, probably Toshiro's, but Ichigo moved them aside. Next, Ichigo took out some pictures of his friends and family. There was some tape in the cabinet the TV was placed on, so Ichigo taped his pictures up. He smiled as he examined the pictures. All of them told a story; Ichigo and his childhood friend Tatsuki sparring with each other (he lost), Christmas photo of his family, playing beach volleyball with Uryu, Chad, Keigo, and Mizuiro…his wedding with Orihime.

Ichigo frowned. He probably shouldn't have brought that photo.

Ichigo took his laptop out of his suitcase ("Mr. Aizen doesn't want the patients to feel trapped so depending on what they're diagnosed with, patients are allowed to bring technology").

As Ichigo was putting his laptop in the bedside drawer, he noticed a framed picture on the table. In the picture was a young man with spiky white hair and bright blue eyes wearing a tuxedo. He was standing next to a woman with dark hair tied back into a bun. She wore a strapless white dress and a veil. _This must be Toshiro and his wife._

Ichigo wondered what Toshiro was like. How OCD was he? Was he smart, was he friendly?

Ichigo lay on the bed, which was really comfortable, and closed his eyes.

* * *

_"Hey, Ichigo!" A fifteen year old Ichigo turned at the sound of his name. His childhood friend, Tatsuki was running up to him. A girl with orange hair was with her._

_"Ichigo, this is Orihime," Tatsuki said, gesturing at the girl. "She's new here."_

_"Hi," Ichigo said curtly. _

_Tatsuki smacked Ichigo's head._

_"What the hell, Tatsuki! I said hi!"_

_"You don't sound sincere enough!" Tatsuki said. "Orihime's new! You have to make her feel welcomed."_

_Orihime laughed. Her laugh reminded Ichigo of a bell. "Thank you, Tatsuki-chan, but I feel welcomed already!"_

_Orihime extended her hand. "Inoue, Orihime."_

_Ichigo took her hand. It was as soft as a baby's cheek. "Kurosaki, Ichigo."_

"Mr. Kurosaki?"

Ichigo opened his eyes. Unohana was standing above him.

"Mr. Kurosaki, your therapist is ready to see you."

Ichigo yawned and sat up. He rubbed his face. "I thought I told you to call me Ichigo."

* * *

They say that first impressions were the most important impressions. When Ichigo first saw Kisuke Urahara, he thought, "You've gotta be fucking kidding me."

Urahara was a middle aged man who wore a dark green and white striped bucket hat. His dark green shirt and pants reminded Ichigo of a kimono and he wore traditional Japanese wooden sandals. His dark green jacket resembled a haori.

This man, who Ichigo mentally nicknamed "Candyman" because of his hat, was Ichigo's therapist. He was the one in charge of curing Ichigo.

Urahara lifted up a fan and covered his face with it. "Pleasure to meet you, Kurosaki Ichigo! My name is Urahara Kisuke." His tone was annoyingly cheery. "Please take a seat."

Ichigo wanted to laugh and cry. "Is this a joke?"

Urahara raised an eyebrow. "Is what a joke?"

"First, my wife cheats on me. Next, I'm diagnosed with bipolar disorder and get sent to a mental hospital that's more like a resort. And now, I'm getting treated by a man who's wearing a bucket hat!"

Urahara laughed. "It does sound odd, doesn't it? But life is strange like that. Now take a seat before I ask Unohana to sedate you."

"I thought this place was supposed to be peaceful," Ichigo said but obeyed.

Urahara placed his fan on the desk and took a pen and a notebook. "So, Mr. Kurosaki, you have bipolar disorder."

"I do _not_," Ichigo said.

"Then why are you here?"

Ichigo clenched his fists. "Look, I caught my wife and a man I've never seen before _in the act_. Of course I was going to be pissed."

"Yes, but you nearly killed Mr. Jaegerjaquez," Urahara pointed out. "Men who are mentally healthy wouldn't react that way."

"I am NOT mentally unstable!" Ichigo snapped.

"Mhmm well if you ask me, you reacted more than you needed to just now."

Ichigo's mouth hung open.

"Now, tell me about the day you found your wife cheating on you."

Ichigo glared at Urahara. "No."

"Weren't you a doctor? You should know better than anyone that talking to someone is one of the best cures."

Ichigo let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine. I went to work and convinced a guy to get insurance. Then I went home and saw Orihime with that guy and I nearly killed him. The end."

Recalling the event felt like being stabbed in the back. He _was_ stabbed in the back.

"Oh, but it's _not_ the end," Urahara said. "Tis only the beginning. Now tell me the story again but in detail."

"What's there to tell? Didn't you already see my papers?"

"Listen to what you're saying," Urahara said. "You're 29 years old and you're acting like a spoiled, rebellious 16 year old. Is that what happens to people who receive high paying jobs? Act like other people are not worth their time?"

Ichigo was tempted to punch Urahara. "No, I don't think that. And I'm _not_ acting spoiled and I do_ not_ have bipolar disorder!"

"The more you deny it, the more true it is," Urahara said. "The first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem. Accept that you're mentally unhealthy."

Ichigo shot up. "GOD FUCKING DAMMIT I AM PERFECTLY HEALTHY!"

Unohana stormed in. "Dr. Urahara! Are you OK?"

Urahara smiled. "_I'm_ OK. My client, however, is not."

Ichigo bit his lip so hard, he drew out blood.

"Mr. Kurosaki," Urahara said calmly. "You are not healthy. No matter how many times you deny it, you are not healthy."

Ichigo stared at Urahara. Without thinking, he punched at the Candyman. Urahara effortlessly blocked the punch.

Urahara jotted something down on his notebook. He ripped the page off and handed it to Ichigo. Ichigo took the paper and read it.

"Take about 1800 milligrams of Lithium per day," Urahara said. He tossed a medicine container at Ichigo. He caught it with one hand. "It will help you control your behavior. Drink eight to twelve glasses of water a day."

Ichigo's lip curled. His entire body shook with anger. "For the last time, I'm not sick. I don't need to take Lithium."

Urahara sighed. "There's nothing to be ashamed of, Mr. Kurosaki. If you want to get out soon, you _have _to take it."

Urahara glanced at the clock. It was 5:30.

"You can go back to your room, Mr. Kurosaki," Urahara said. "We'll meet again tomorrow."

Unohana placed her hand on Ichigo's shoulder. Ichigo shook her hand away.

"I don't need anyone to guide me to my room."

"Sorry Mr. Kurosaki, but it's the rules."

The trip back was quiet since Unohana didn't try to converse with Ichigo. Ichigo was grateful for that. He decided that Unohana was the only sane person in the whole building.

It was strange, actually. Las Noches had thousands of patients yet, Ichigo didn't see anyone on the way back except for the male nurse he saw this morning and a petite woman with violet eyes.

"Where is everyone?" Ichigo asked once they reached his room.

Unohana shrugged. "They could be anywhere. There's a lot of things to do at Las Noches like watching a movie, swimming-"

"_Swimming_?!"

Unohana nodded. "Some patients find peace in the water."

"But what if someone with depression tries to drown themselves?!"

Unohana unlocked the door and opened it. "Don't worry, Mr. Kurosaki. The doors to the pool are locked at night and no patient is allowed near the pool without a nurse."

Ichigo walked into his room. He turned around. "Thank you, Unohana. I think I just might make it out alive because of you."

Unohana smiled. "It's my job." She paused. "Please address me as _Miss_ Unohana."

Ichigo smirked. "I'll call you Miss Unohana if you call me Ichigo."

Unohana shook her head, but she was still smiling. "It's unprofessional to do that, Mr. Kurosaki."

"Then call me Ichigo when there's no one else around," Ichigo said.

Unohana sighed. "If you really want to…but only if we're alone."

"Yeah," Ichigo said.

Unohana began closing the door. "Remember to take the Lithium…Ichigo. I'll see you later."

"Yeah, see you." Ichigo said. Unohana shut the door.

Ichigo sat on his bed and held up the orange container of Lithium up to his face. After a moment, he opened the container and took out a pill. He reluctantly popped the pill into his mouth.

Ichigo lay on his bed, crossing his arms behind him. Urahara's words rang in his head.

_You are not healthy. No matter how many times you deny it, you are not healthy._

Ichigo closed his eyes. Ichigo had always believed that he was a healthy man. There was no doubt that his physical health wasn't in danger. But now, it seemed that Ichigo couldn't say the same about his mental health.

_The first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem._

Ichigo took a deep breath. "I have a problem. I have bipolar disorder. I am mentally unhealthy."

**Yes Ichigo, you are not healthy. Hopefully he'll be able to control himself and not kill Urahara the candyman xD Thoughts on this chapter?**


	3. Las Noches, Sweet Las Noches

**Flappy Bird was created by Satan**

Chapter 3

Las Noches, Sweet Las Noches

When Ichigo woke up the next morning, a man with spiky white hair and blue eyes was standing over him. He was glaring at him.

"W-What do you want?" Ichigo asked, not fully awake.

"Please explain to me why my books were moved."

"Huh?"

A muscle in the man's eye twitched. "My books were stacked perfectly aligned. You moved them and now the books are unaligned."

The gears in Ichigo's brain turned slowly. "Are you…Toshiro?"

"I'd rather you call me Hitsugaya," Toshiro said coldly. He let out an exasperated sigh. "Jesus, even Omaeda knew better."

Ichigo sat up. "What did I even do to you?"

"Were you listening?! You moved my books without my permission!"

"I was just making room for my books!"

"Maybe but because of you, my books aren't aligned." Toshiro opened the drawer. "Fix it."

Ichigo grit his teeth and knelt down in front of the drawer. As he aligned the books, his hands lingered on the top one. His eyes widened when he recognized the disembodied eyes and cherry red lips. Ichigo wondered how he hadn't noticed it yesterday.

"You like _The Great Gatsby_?"

"Of course," Toshiro said. His tone was serious but his gaze softened slightly. "It's a classic."

Ichigo smiled. "I hated Daisy."

"Fitzgerald made her an unlikable character on purpose," Toshiro said. "She's supposed to represent the so-called 'American Dream.'" Toshiro smiled. "I can go on and on about that novel, but I don't think you'd want to hear it."

Ichigo chuckled. "Not now, but one day maybe. I like hearing people's analysis."

Ichigo stood up. Toshiro only went up to his chest. "Did you see the movie?"

Toshiro shook his head. "I'm always scared of movies ruining the book."

"I didn't want to watch it either, but my wi-" Ichigo caught himself. He felt a pang in his heart. "My ex-wife loves DiCaprio so we watched it and I have to say, I was satisfied. DiCaprio is an amazing actor."

Toshiro laughed. "He is. Too bad he hasn't won an Oscar yet."

Ichigo laughed. "The man deserves one."

Toshiro cleared his throat and extended his hand. "I haven't introduced myself properly. I'm Hitsugaya, Toshiro."

Ichigo shook Toshiro's hand. "Kurosaki, Ichigo."

Suddenly, Ichigo heard a trumpet. The trumpet was playing the Reveille.

"Good morning, soldiers!" A man said once the song ended. It was Aizen. "It's a beautiful November morning! For breakfast, we're serving pancakes with a side of scrambled eggs!"

Ichigo glanced at the digital clock.

"The wake up call is at 7:30," Toshiro said. "We're given about ten minutes to get dressed and go to the cafeteria."

Ichigo brushed his shirt. He had fallen asleep in his clothing. Even though he had worn it yesterday, Ichigo didn't feel like changing.

"Ready when you are," Ichigo said.

Toshiro smirked. "Kurosaki, I have OCD. I'm always going to be ready before you."

* * *

Each floor had their own cafeteria so Ichigo didn't feel claustrophobic as he and Toshiro entered the room.

Unohana and a few other nurses were serving the food. Unohana smiled at Ichigo when they made eye contact.

"How was your first night?" Unohana asked as she placed two pancakes and some scrambled eggs onto Ichigo's plate.

"I slept well if that's what you're asking," Ichigo said.

Ichigo followed Toshiro to one of the tables. A muscular man with spiky black hair and scars all over his face along with a voluptuous strawberry blonde woman were sitting there.

The woman turned and beamed at Toshiro. Her teeth were pearly white. "Morning, Toshiro! Who's your new friend?"

Toshiro sat down next to her. Ichigo took a seat next to the man.

"This is Kurosaki, Ichigo," Toshiro said. "He likes _The Great Gatsby_."

The woman extended her arm across the table. Ichigo shook it and stared at her gorgeous face. Her light blue eyes and the beauty mark near her lip looked familiar.

Ichigo's eyes widened. "Are you-?"

"Matsumoto, Rangiku," the woman said. "You know me?"

Ichigo grinned. "My wife loves you! Oh god, Orihime will be so jealous once she hears that I met you."

Ichigo wanted to kick himself. He kept forgetting that Orihime divorced him.

Rangiku giggled. "Your wife has good taste."

Rangiku Matsumoto was a Victoria's Secret Model. She was Orihime's woman crush. Actually, Rangiku was pretty much the woman of every man's dreams and the envy of every woman because of her sexy body and beautiful face.

What was a woman like Rangiku doing in a mental hospital?

Rangiku seemed to have read his mind. "Drinking," Rangiku said. "I had a bad habit of relying on alcohol to solve my problems." Rangiku's blue eyes grew distant, as if she remembered something painful.

The man sitting next to Ichigo said, "I'm Zaraki, Kenpachi. Try to stay on my good side if you want to get out alive."

Ichigo studied Kenpachi's face. He seemed friendly enough, but his last comment discomforted him.

"I'll do my best," Ichigo said.

Toshiro leaned forward. Sensing that Toshiro wanted to tell him something, Ichigo leaned forward and cocked his head.

"Kenpachi has sadistic personality disorder," Toshiro whispered. "He's a lot better now, but if you piss him off, you're going to regret it."

Toshiro pulled away. He smiled at Kenpachi, who grinned back.

"Telling the new guy about me?" Kenpachi asked.

Toshiro took his fork and knife. "I like Kurosaki. I don't want him to get seriously hurt."

Toshiro began carefully cutting his pancakes. He stuck his tongue out in concentration.

"So Ichigo, what were you in your past life?" Kenpachi asked.

Ichigo picked up his glass of milk and drank a few gulps. He placed the cup down and licked his upper lip to remove the white stain. "I was a doctor. Ever heard of the Kurosaki Clinic?"

"Nope," Kenpachi said. "But I do know what a doctor is. _Damn_. How did a doctor end up in a crazy hospital?"

"I have bipolar disorder," Ichigo said as casually as possible. Toshiro, Kenpachi, and Rangiku seemed comfortable talking about their problems. Ichigo figured that he should be the same.

"Bipolar?" Kenpachi's black eyes flickered with interest. "Do you get violent when you lose it?"

_Yeah sure, I nearly killed someone once._

"Depends," Ichigo said. He stabbed an egg with his fork and shoved it into his mouth. He chewed it vigorously and swallowed. The image of Grimmjow's empty eyes haunted Ichigo's mind.

"Hey." Rangiku's voice caught Ichigo's attention. "Since you're new here, there's a lot you need to learn."

Ichigo shook his head. "It's OK. If I have any questions, I can ask Unohana."

"Unohana?" Kenpachi stared at the lunch line and grinned. "Damn, the things I would do to her…that woman is sexy as fuck."

Ichigo nearly fell out of his chair when he heard that. He looked over at Unohana. Her lips and sapphire eyes smiled kindly at the patients as she handed them seconds.

She _was_ pretty. But _sexy_? It seemed unlikely that 'sexy' was even in her dictionary.

"Give up, Kenpachi," Toshiro said. His tone was half joking half serious. "She'd get in so much trouble if she even fantasized about you. Besides, she's rejected you so many times."

Kenpachi rolled his eyes. "She's just playing hard to get."

"OK, we're getting off-topic," Rangiku said. She looked squarely at Ichigo. "I wasn't talking about the schedule here or anything. I was talking about the more social aspect of Las Noches."

Ichigo scratched his head. "What do you mean by that?"

"Ever watched the movie _Mean Girls_?"

"Of course," Ichigo said. The film had come out when Ichigo was still in high school. His friend, Tatsuki, forced all of her friends into watching the movie with her, including the guys. Ichigo had walked into the theatre expecting to fall asleep within the first five seconds. However, the opening credits were shown in such an eery way that Ichigo wondered if they were watching a chick flick or a horror movie. The thought of Lindsay Lohan's character potentially dying excited Ichigo. The movie turned out to be far from scary, but Ichigo found himself laughing the entire time.

"It was such a great movie," Rangiku said. "Anyways, remember the scene where Janice was telling Cady about the cliques?"

Ichigo winced. "Oh god, don't tell me that Las Noches is like that."

Rangiku smiled. "Well, not exactly but there are cliques."

Rangiku's blue eyes darted around the room. Ichigo followed her gaze, which landed on a group of…larger people. One of them, a man with dark skin, laughed obnoxiously loud.

"People with eating disorders, particularly the binge eaters, tend to hang out with each other," Rangiku said. Her eyes shifted to a table with guys and girls staring lecherously at each other. A woman with red hair and glasses attempted to grope a nearby girl.

"Those are the sex addicts," Rangiku said.

"Oh." Ichigo looked around the room. His eyes fell on a petite woman. The woman was sitting at a table next to the window, near the corner of the room.

She was alone.

"Who's that?" Ichigo asked.

Rangiku turned around. "That's Kuchiki, Rukia. She's like you, I think. She has bipolar disorder. Apparently, she's also a sex addict."

Ichigo knit his eyebrows. "Why is she sitting alone?"

"Kuchiki has no control," Toshiro replied. "One minute she'll be completely calm, the next she'll be trying to claw your eyes out."

"She's like me except she doesn't enjoy hurting others," Kenpachi explained.

Ichigo stared at Rukia, who was eating her pancakes in a lady-like fashion. Several strands of her raven hair hung loosely between her violet eyes, which seemed to be a mix of every shade of blue and purple and were the size of golfballs. It was scientifically proven that large eyes were attractive, but at the moment, Ichigo found it difficult to find Rukia attractive. Her eyes were just so…vacant…as if she wouldn't care if a giant tsunami suddenly appeared and drowned everyone.

Someone waved their hand in front of Ichigo's face.

"Hello, earth to Kurosaki?" It was Toshiro.

Ichigo blinked a few times and smiled. "Hey, I've been telling you guys about me. Wanna tell me about you?"

Toshiro leaned back in his chair. "Ask me anything."

Ichigo tapped his chin. "Mhmm, how long have you guys been here?"

"I've been here for four months exactly," Toshiro said.

Rangiku twirled a stand of her hair. "About two years."

"Three years," Kenpachi said. He shrugged. "I'm probably going to live here for the rest of my life."

"I'm sure you'll be cured one day." Ichigo enunciated every word.

Kenpachi let out a rowdy laugh, leaving Ichigo confused.

"W-What's so funny?"

"You sound serious as shit," Kenpachi said. "Look Ichigo, I've accepted a long time ago that I can never change and I'm fine with that. This place has become my home. Besides, if I leave, I won't be able to see Unohana as much."

"You won't be able to be with Unohana if you're her patient," Ichigo pointed out.

"Shit, Ichigo I don't want to marry her," Kenpachi said. "I'm more interested in the fucking."

Ichigo opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by Toshiro.

"Just let it go, Kurosaki," Toshiro said. "I've already tried to convince Kenpachi to give up."

Ichigo sighed. "Fine." He paused. "So…Toshiro…you married?"

Toshiro smiled. Ichigo had seen Toshiro smile before, but this was different. It was much more genuine, almost loving, and his blue eyes wore a much more relaxed look.

"Yeah," Toshiro said proudly. "I'm married. Her name's Momo."

Rangiku giggled. "Einstein here acts so adorable whenever she comes to visit. He blushes so hard."

Toshiro's eyes shot daggers at Rangiku. "Quit calling me Einstein! I can't help if my hair's naturally white and spiky!"

"Ah, come on Einstein! It's a compliment!"

"You're making fun of my hair! How the hell is that a compliment?!"

Ichigo smiled as the two bickered. Kenpachi turned to Ichigo and asked, "So Ichigo, what's your woman like?"

Ichigo cocked his head. "Why did you assume I was married?"

Kenpachi scratched his head. "Maybe my memory has gotten fuzzy, but didn't you earlier that your wife loved Rangiku?"

_Yes, I did say that_. Ichigo felt the sudden urge to kick himself again.

"I'm not married anymore," Ichigo said, forcing a smile onto his face. "It…just didn't work out."

"Too bad," Kenpachi said. "She lost a good one. No homo."

Despite the change in his mood, Ichigo chuckled. "Thanks Kenpachi."

Although Ichigo was still upset about Orihime, for the first time since he came to Las Noches, Ichigo felt like he belonged.

* * *

"No!" Ichigo snapped.

"Why not?" Urahara whined.

"I'm not going to talk to a man I barely know about my wife!" Ichigo's fingers curled and gripped the arms of the leather chair tightly. He had walked into the room expecting Urahara to ask normal questions, something along the lines of, "how was your day?" But as soon as Ichigo's ass made contact with the seat, Urahara asked Ichigo to tell him about Orihime. Maybe if he knew Urahara long enough, he would have, but Ichigo had only met Urahara yesterday. It also didn't help that Ichigo strongly disliked Urahara.

"I'm your therapist," Urahara said. "You're supposed to tell me all your secrets. Don't worry, I won't tell _anyone_, not even my wife."

"Well, two can keep a secret if one of them is dead," Ichigo snarled.

A part of Ichigo hoped that Urahara would cower in the corner. Instead, Urahara laughed. God, his laugh was irritating.

"I'm not asking you about your sex life, Mr. Kurosaki," Urahara said. "Frankly, I'd rather not hear about it. But I am interested to know about your past with Mrs. Inoue."

"Curiosity killed the cat."

"I'm not a cat, Mr. Kurosaki," Urahara said. "My wife, however, might be one. She's just as flexible as a cat. It's really fun whenever we pretend to be lions and-"

Ichigo looked away and waved his hand in front of his face. "TOO MUCH INFORMATION!"

Urahara clapped his hands like the retarded seal he was. "You have the funniest reactions, you know that?"

"I thought you were supposed to help me," Ichigo said dryly. "Not burn scarring images into my mind."

"I am trying to help you," Urahara replied calmly. "But you are not cooperating."

Ichigo crossed his arms. "How is talking about Orihime supposed to help?"

"We're here to talk about your problems," Urahara answered. "Your relationship with your ex-wife is one of your problems. Now tell me how it all started."

Ichigo hesitated. He wanted to keep the happy memories to himself.

But he also needed to get out.

Ichigo sighed. "We met in high school."

Urahara had hid his face behind his fan. Ichigo wondered if Urahara was mentally judging him for marrying a girl from high school. _He probably thinks we got married right after graduation._

"She was a new student at Karakura High," Ichigo continued. He shut his eyes for a moment as he remembered the first time he saw her. "My friend Tatsuki introduced me to her. Every teenager goes through an awkward phase, but Orihime never seemed to go through said phase." _She was a flower, a blossomed flower._ "She was pretty, had a developed chest, was sweet and ranked third in the grade. She was perfect...and just a friend."

Urahara's expression was unreadable. "And then?"

"Then one day, her brother got into a car accident." Ichigo shut his eyes. It had been a rainy night. He could still remember Orihime's teary face as she begged her brother to survive. "Her brother was sent to the Kurosaki Clinic. Naturally, Orihime was there so I comforted her and…we fell in love."

Urahara remained silent. Ichigo opened his eyes and frowned.

"Are you just going to sit there or are you going to say something?!"

Urahara lowered his fan. "Your relationship had a healthy start. Did you have any sudden mood swings around that time?"

Ichigo shook his head. "I lost my temper sometimes, but it wasn't anything serious."

"Then something happened as the years went by," Urahara said. He glanced at the clock and sighed. "I wasted precious time trying to get you to open up. We'll have to continue this tomorrow. Are you taking the Lithium?"

Ichigo stood up and nodded.

"And are you drinking enough water?"

Ichigo stifled a groan. "I'm not a child, Urahara. I don't need to be reminded to take my meds."

Ichigo opened the door. Unohana was standing outside, patiently waiting for him.

"And I don't need someone to escort me to my room."

Unohana and Urahara laughed. Ichigo crossed his arms and pouted. He felt like a five year old being laughed at by his parents for saying "I'm an adult!"

"Come on, Mr. Kurosaki," Unohana said between giggles. "I haven't given you a proper tour of Las Noches. What would you like to see first?"

Without hesitation, Ichigo said, "The library."

Ichigo waved Urahara goodbye and followed Unohana through the freshly scented hallway.

**In case you didn't know, the Reveille is the wake up call for soldiers.**

**Toshiro is a bit OOC but in my opinion, his new personality is better for this story. Also, I know you guys are wondering when Ichigo and Rukia are going to actually talk to each other. Since it's Chinese New Year and I'm in such a festive mood, I'll give you guys a little spoiler: they officially meet each other in the next chapter.**

**Happy Chinese New Year! I hope you guys all have a prosperous year :)**


	4. Alone

**Fuck yeah snow day! :D**

**And now, the moment you've all been waiting for... Ichigo meets Rukia! \(^.^)/**

Chapter 4

Alone

Five days.

That's how long Ichigo Kurosaki had lived in Las Noches so far.

The schedule was practically the same each day. All the routines, from waking up in the morning to taking his pills to confiding in Urahara, was like a reflex now. To Ichigo's surprise, it hadn't been that difficult to adjust to his new life.

Ichigo's day went down like this:

7:30- Wake up. Ichigo had ten minutes to dress up and get to the cafeteria.

7:40- Breakfast. Usually, the breakfast was cereal but once in a while, pancakes or waffles were served.

8:30- Brush teeth, fix bed, take his meds and all that jazz. Toshiro spent a lot of time making sure that there wasn't a single wrinkle on the beds.

9:00- Exercise. To prevent the gym from being too crowded, not everyone exercised at the same time. Rangiku and Toshiro exercised later in the day, but luckily for Ichigo, he had Kenpachi to keep him company. Ichigo liked running on the treadmill while Kenpachi lifted weights.

10:00- Community. The patients on each floor were divided into groups. Each group had to do a bunch of activities together. This morning, Ichigo's group played a bunch of word games.

11:00- Check-Ups. The nurses weighed the patients, checked their physical health etc. to make sure nothing happened over night.

11:15- Relax. Ichigo stayed in his room and chatted with Toshiro, read, or browsed the Internet. Every few days, Ichigo had to do the laundry.

12:30- Lunch. Different main courses were offered each day. Salad was always served.

1:20- Relax. Ichigo liked going to the library, swimming, and playing pool.

4:00- On Sundays, visiting hours.

5:00- Dinner.

5:30- Therapy with Urahara. Although Ichigo could tolerate Urahara, he still didn't like him much.

6:30- Shower.

7:30- Closure group. Ichigo and the other patients had to review their daily goals, if they achieved their goals etc.

8:00- Go back to rooms.

9:00- Night meds.

9:30- Social gatherings. Everyone just hung out in the common room.

11:00- Bed time.

It was dinner now. Ichigo ran his fingers through his damp, orange hair. He went swimming for about half an hour before dinner. Ichigo mentally thanked Aizen for being so considerate. He loved how free he felt when his arms cut through the water, the gentle waves gliding past his body.

"Why are you smiling?" Kenpachi asked as he twirled some spaghetti around his fork.

Ichigo shook his head. "It's nothing."

Ichigo shoveled some spaghetti into his mouth. For hospital food, this spaghetti was pretty decent. Still, Ichigo missed his sister, Yuzu's, cooking. Her dishes were the epitome of food porn. They were neither too sweet nor too salty and tasted like the sweet tears of Jesus.

"Have you been enjoying your stay so far?" Rangiku asked, taking a bite of her salad.

"It's definitely been better than I thought it would be," Ichigo admitted.

Rangiku smiled. "Everyone I've asked has said that." The smile faded away. "It really isn't that bad here, but I can't wait for the day I can march out of Las Noches and tell the world I'm healthy."

Ichigo eyed Rangiku. She seemed perfectly healthy, so why was she still sitting in front of him?

Toshiro nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Momo is pregnant and I want to be able to live with my future baby."

Rangiku's eyes widened. Kenpachi, who had been drinking his water, slammed his cup down and spat the water all over the table. Toshiro, Rangiku, and Ichigo cringed.

"That's disgusting, Kenpachi!" Toshiro sputtered while Kenpachi laughed. Toshiro picked up the many napkins he had taken and began wiping the table.

Rangiku playfully shoved Toshiro. "Yo, I've known you for like four months and you have _never_ told me that Momo was pregnant. How many months so far?"

"Seven," Toshiro said.

"Asshole! I thought we were friends!"

"You couldn't tell?!"

Suddenly, a piercing scream sliced through the air. Toshiro and Rangiku turned around. Ichigo looked over Toshiro's spiky hair.

A girl with schizophrenia was having a break-down. She flailed her arms and legs all over the place, like a toddler having a tantrum. Unohana rushed to the girl's side and gently, but firmly, guided her out of the room. Kenpachi's eyes never left Unohana as he mumbled, "I _would_."

Ichigo, on the other hand, didn't watch the whole thing. His attention was now focused on the person who had been sitting at the table behind the girl: Rukia Kuchiki. Rukia remained indifferent to the situation and calmly sipped her water. She was alone.

Toshiro turned back around. He raised an eyebrow when he looked at Ichigo and followed his gaze.

"Ichigo, why are you staring at Kuchiki?" Toshiro's voice grabbed Ichigo's attention.

"She's sitting alone again," Ichigo said.

"Kuchiki always sits alone," Rangiku said.

"I know." Ichigo glanced back at Rukia. "I feel bad for her. Should we invite her to sit with us?"

Toshiro and Rangiku jumped slightly at Ichigo's suggestion. Even Kenpachi stared at Ichigo.

"No," Toshiro said. He shook his head multiple times. "No no no no no. That's a bad idea."

Ichigo scratched his head. "How come?"

"She has bipolar disorder," Rangiku said. "And unlike you, she has little control over it. I don't want to say the wrong thing and get my head bitten off."

"Plus, she's a sex addict," Toshiro added. "She fucked all of her colleagues. I don't want her to grope my no-no square. Chizuru nearly did that yesterday!"

"That woman is unpredictable," Kenpachi agreed.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes into angry slits. "I don't fucking believe it."

"It's true!" Rangiku said.

"That's not what I mean." Ichigo gritted his teeth. "You guys are in the same situation as Rukia; living in a mental hospital. I can't believe you guys are being so judgmental."

"We're not being judgmental," Toshiro protested. "We know from personal experience that Kuchiki is a girl you don't want to mess with."

"Well I'm just going to have to prove that Rukia is not different from us." Ichigo held onto his tray and stood up. As he walked to Rukia's table, Toshiro and Rangiku begged Ichigo to come back while Kenpachi muttered, "He's dead."

Ichigo placed his tray onto Rukia's table and pulled up a chair. Rukia eyed him cautiosuly.

Ichigo smiled. "Hi."

Rukia raised an eyebrow. "Who are you?"

Ichigo extended his hand. "Kurosaki, Ichigo. I'm new here." He waited for Rukia to shake his hand. When she didn't, Ichigo awkwardly pulled his hand away. His smile disappeared

"Why are you sitting here?" Rukia asked. She didn't hide the suspicion in her voice.

Ichigo cleared his throat. "Well you were alone so-"

"So what? You felt bad for me?" Rukia's nostrils flared. "I don't need your pity!"

"You're right, you don't!" Ichigo said quickly. "But I just wanted to get to know everyone. Please give me a chance."

Rukia leaned back and crossed her arms.

"Let's start over, OK?" Ichigo extended his hand again. "I'm Kurosaki, Ichigo."

Rukia hesitated before reluctantly shaking his hand. Her hand was small and delicate. "Kuchiki, Rukia." She quickly let go of Ichigo's hand. "I think I've heard of you. Your wife cheated on you, right?"

Ichigo swallowed. He blocked the image Orihime and Grimmjow's naked bodies from his mind.

"Y-Yeah."

"Sucks," Rukia said unsympathetically. "Welcome to the Singles Club."

"Thanks," Ichigo replied. He looked down at his food and began playing with a meatball with his fork. There was a long, extremely awkward silence between them.

"So, you have bipolar disorder?" Ichigo asked.

"Yeah," Rukia said. After a pause, "You do too, right?"

"Yeah." Ichigo slurped a noodle.

Rukia knit her eyebrows. "The food's really not that good."

Ichigo shrugged. "Compared to other hospitals, it's pretty good."

"No it's not."

"Yes it is."

"Trust me, I've tried food from other hospitals. Their food tastes the same."

"Trust me, I have too. The food here tastes better." Ichigo paused and smirked. "Maybe you're just a picky eater."

To his surprise, Rukia smiled. Well, it was more of a smirk, but this was the first time Ichigo had seen Rukia's lips curve upward. Amusement glittered in those violet orbs of hers.

She looked…pretty.

"Maybe I am," Rukia said. "My brother is filthy rich, so he always made sure we ate the finest cuisines."

"Who's your brother?"

"Does the name Kuchiki, Byakuya sound familiar?"

Ichigo nearly choked on his spaghetti. "_The_ Kuchiki, Byakuya? As in the business mogul?"

Rukia's smirk became a flat line. Ichigo wondered if he said the wrong thing. "Yeah, that's my brother."

Ichigo stared at Rukia with his mouth hung open. "That's so…oh my god. I can't imagine what life must be like being related to someone so powerful."

Rukia laughed dryly. "I lived a life of luxury, but Byakuya set extremely high expectations for me. Being locked up here was not one of them. According to Byakuya, I'm no longer a Kuchiki."

"Wow," Ichigo said. "That's rough."

"Tell me about it." Rukia leaned on her left elbow. "I've told you about me, now it's your turn."

Ichigo tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I was a doctor in my past life."

"Good for you," Rukia said.

Ichigo leaned forward. "What were you?"

"A lawyer."

Ichigo smiled. "Maybe we can save lives together after we're cured."

Rukia snorted. "Sure."

Out of the corner of his eye, Ichigo could see Toshiro, Rangiku, and Kenpachi silently observing them. Ichigo smirked internally. _They're wrong. Sure, Rukia's hostile but she's not scary._

"I'm serious," Ichigo said. "We can set up a company. I can see it now: The Kurosaki and Kuchiki Hospital/Law Firm! I bet we'll be so successful, that we'll end up taking over the world!"

Rukia was laughing now. Her laugh was deeper than Orihime's, but the sound was pleasant. "World domination sounds cool." Her laughs died down and she eyed him. "You're not worried about me fucking all the employees?"

The smile froze on Ichigo's face. "Huh?"

"I'm sure you've heard about me," Rukia said. "That was I a sex addict. That I fucked all of my colleagues."

"I have," Ichigo admitted. "But those are just rumors, right?"

Rukia's tone was nonchalant as she answered, "No. The rumors are true."

"Oh" was all Ichigo could say. Although Ichigo wasn't a particularly nosey person, he asked, "How many?"

Rukia leaned forward slightly. "Thirteen."

"Damn," Ichigo said. "That's a lot of people."

"I know," Rukia murmured.

Ichigo hesitated. "Can I ask you another question?"

"Go ahead."

Ichigo felt like a pervert. "Were there women?"

Rukia bit her lip. "Yeah."

"How does lesbian sex work?" Ichigo asked. "Did she give you a lap dance or something?"

"Yeah," Rukia said. "Except I was the one who gave her the lap dance."

"How was it?"

Rukia hesitated before answering, "Hot."

"Jesus Christ," Ichigo muttered under his breath. "Have you always been like that?"

Rukia's eyes narrowed. "Like what?"

Something about Rukia's tone told Ichigo that he said something wrong. "I don't know, like a-"

"A SLUT?!" Rukia pulled away, seething. Ichigo could sense many heads turning to their direction. "You think I'm a slut now, don't you!?"

"That's not what I meant!" Ichigo protested. "You're just different!"

Rukia's face turned red. "DIFFERENT!? And you're not!? Oh, I get it! To you, I'm not just a slut, I'm a CRAZY slut!" As if to prove her point, Rukia tossed her head back. "AHAHAHAHA!"

Rukia shot up and swiped her arm across the table. Their plates shattered as the trays fell to the floor.

"FUCK YOU!" Rukia marched away. Three people walked after her. Two of them were nurses. The third was Ichigo.

"I'm sorry!" Ichigo said. "I didn't mean that!" He reached out and touched Rukia's shoulder. She whirled around and smacked Ichigo's hand away.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" The two nurses each took Rukia's arm. Rukia shook them away and stormed off.

Ichigo went after her. "Rukia, wait! I didn't-"

Rukia whirled around and glared fiercely at Ichigo. "YES YOU DID!"

"I didn't!" Ichigo exclaimed. "When I said you were different, I meant different from me! I know I'm different from most people, but I'm not different in the same way you are! I've never participated in that sort of sexual activity!"

"You may not have done the shit that I've done, but you sure as hell enjoyed hearing about it!" Rukia turned around. Ichigo instinctively grabbed her arm. She turned around and ripped her arm away, as if Ichigo was a virus and she would become sick if she touched him.

"Rukia-"

"SHUT UP, OK?! JUST STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Tears began forming in her eyes. In a dangerously quiet voice, she added, "I opened up to you, and you judged me. You are an asshole, Kurosaki Ichigo. An ASSHOLE!"

When Rukia marched off, Ichigo didn't go after her. Her words felt like a slap in the face.

He couldn't remember the last time he felt so guilty.

* * *

"Something's bothering you," Urahara said.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Don't act clueless, Urahara. I know you heard about what happened during dinner."

"I only know what the nurses told me," Urahara said. "You upset Miss Kuchiki, but no one seems to know why."

"Let me guess, you want me to tell you the details?"

Urahara leaned on his elbow. "Do tell."

Ichigo sighed. "I said something that made Rukia think I was calling her a slut."

Urahara said nothing. He seemed to be thinking hard. Ichigo leaned forward, expecting an insightful comment.

"You know, for a doctor, you're not very smart."

Ichigo bristled. "Gee, thanks!"

"Why did you sit with her in the first place?" Urahara asked. "She's quite intimidating."

Ichigo slumped. "There were a lot of nasty rumors about her. I wanted to prove everyone wrong."

"That's not your job," Urahara pointed out. "If Miss Kuchiki wanted to clear things up, she would've done so a while ago. She's been here for three years, you know."

"What happened to her anyway?" Ichigo asked.

"I don't think I should tell you."

Ichigo took a deep breath. "Look, I hurt Rukia a lot and I want to apologize. But I want to know about her situation, too."

Urahara set his notepad and pen aside. In an uncharacteristically serious tone, he said, "I don't know the details since I'm not her therapist, but I do know one thing. Her husband was murdered."

_Murdered_. That eight letter word echoed ominously through Ichigo's mind, like a ghost whispering its name. Suddenly, the room began to spin around and Ichigo saw himself standing outside. The chilly air nipped the tip of his nose as fat drops of rain fell from the gray clouds.

Urahara was no longer in front of Ichigo. Instead, a woman with light brown hair collapsed in front of him, brick red blood dripping from her chest.

"Mr. Kurosaki?" Urahara's voice sucked Ichigo out of the rainy scene and back into reality.

Ichigo blinked and shook his head. "Yeah?"

"You look pale," Urahara said.

Ichigo felt dizzy. "I'm fine." After a moment, Ichigo got up. "I need to go find Rukia."

Urahara reached out for him. "Hey, we're not finish-"

Ichigo shut the door and ran off.

* * *

When Ichigo found Rukia ten minutes later, she was walking with the male nurse, Hanataro.

Ichigo ran up to them. "Rukia!"

Rukia's back stiffened when she heard his voice, but didn't turn around. She walked faster while Hanataro stopped and turned around.

"Mr. Kurosaki?" Ichigo ignored Hanataro and walked past him.

"Rukia." Ichigo grabbed Rukia's arm. She squirmed and smacked Ichigo's arm, but Ichigo held onto her tightly.

"Rukia, listen to me," Ichigo said calmly.

"Get the fuck away!" Rukia spat.

"No, Rukia," Ichigo replied firmly. "I need to apologize."

"What you need to do, is let me go and never talk to me again!" Rukia was glaring hard at Ichigo, but Ichigo could see the flicker of pain hidden underneath the anger.

Ichigo swallowed. "Rukia, I hurt you."

"Then you better run when you have the chance!" Rukia snapped. "You know the saying, 'what doesn't kill you better run like a black man!'"

Ichigo grit his teeth and placed both hands on Rukia's shoulders. Rukia grabbed his hands and tried to pull them off.

"You're not listening!" In a softer tone, Ichigo added, "Rukia, I heard about your husband."

Rukia froze. A shadow flitted over her eyes. "Let go of me," she whispered.

"Rukia," Ichigo said. "You're not alone. You think that you've lost everything, but you haven't. There are still people in this world who care about you." Ichigo swallowed. "I want us to be friends, Rukia. I know you hate me for breaking your trust, but please…give me another chance. OK?"

Rukia said nothing for what felt like hours. Finally, she looked up, her violet eyes staring intently at Ichigo. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Instead, she pushed Ichigo's hands off her and ran.

**Ichigo and Rukia's meeting was based off of the "I opened up to you" scene in Silver Linings Playbook. It is by far my favorite scene in the whole movie :) I hope I didn't ruin it xD**


	5. Old Friends

**Reading the reviews, I was really happy to see people like my story so much. I was honestly not expecting so many people to like my story so it was a really pleasant surprise :) I have more confidence towards my story now and it's because of you guys. Thanks so much!**

Chapter 5

Old Friends

The sun shone proudly in the light blue sky. Puffy white clouds drifted by occasionally while the red, yellow, and orange leaves spun in the air. A small gray bird with an orange belly, the Daurian Redstart, flew by, indicating the coming of winter.

It was such a beautiful day and Ichigo longed to step outside and taste the autumn air. Unfortunately, he wasn't allowed to. According to Unohana, patients in Las Noches could go outside once a week if they had been in Las Noches for at least four months. Of course, their conditions would have to be checked and a nurse would have to escort them. Ichigo couldn't wait to walk through Karakura Town again.

But at the moment, going outside wasn't what Ichigo had been _really _excited for.

Today, he was going to see his family and friends.

Ichigo fidgeted on his bed as he stared at the digital clock. He watched in anticipation as the "0" in 3:50 changed to a "1." Nine minutes left.

Ichigo looked back at the pictures taped to the wall. He observed the picture of his bachelor party. Ichigo was standing in the middle, with a stupid grin on his face and his arms around two men. One of them was Uryu Ishida, a spidery man whose lips were pursed. Uryu wasn't much of a party person. Ichigo knew that Uryu would have preferred staying home and reading, but went to the party out of obligation. Like Rukia, Uryu was a lawyer. Ichigo briefly wondered if they knew each other.

The other guy, was Yasutora "Chad" Sado. Chad was a huge person of Mexican descent. He was about six inches taller than Ichigo, so Ichigo had to raise his arm up high, which looked pretty awkward. Chad was a vet.

Next to Uryu was a guy with brown hair. His cheeks were red and he held up a glass of wine in his hand. Keigo Asano, the former class clown, was a comedian. Ichigo had known Keigo since middle school.

Standing next to Chad was a small guy with blue hair. Even though Mizuiro Kojima looked like a prepubescent boy, he was quite popular with the ladies, including older ones. The real estate agent was a charming fucker.

Ichigo's gaze shifted to a photo of a much younger Ichigo sparring with a girl with boyish hair. The girl, Tatsuki Arisawa, was Ichigo's childhood friend. He hadn't seen Tatsuki in a while since she was always traveling, participating in karate tournaments. Tatsuki was famous now. In fact, she was the strongest woman in Japan. The only times Tatsuki would come back to Karakura was during the holidays or when she offered a few lessons. Last night, Tatsuki posted on Ichigo's Facebook wall that she was visiting him today.

Ichigo looked at another picture. The picture was taken at the house he grew up in. Ichigo was frowning as he watched his father Isshin give his younger sisters, Karin and Yuzu, a giant bear hug. Karin was trying to wrench free from her father's iron grip while Yuzu hugged Isshin back. Karin, the middle child, was a news reporter. Yuzu, who was a year younger, was a chef.

Out of the corner of Ichigo's eye, he saw Toshiro walk into the room with a towel wrapped around his waist. His spiky white hair was wet and flat.

"Not going to shower?" Toshiro asked.

"I already did," Ichigo replied.

Toshiro slipped on white jeans and a light blue polo shirt.

"You seem excited," Toshiro said as he plopped onto his bed. He opened up a book and began to read.

Ichigo lay down. "Of course I am." He glanced at Toshiro. "Whatcha' reading?"

Toshiro turned the book to Ichigo's direction. It was titled _The Racial Contract_.

"My therapist lent me this," Toshiro said. "He said I was a smart guy so I should read it."

"What's it about?"

"It's stupid," Toshiro said. "Some American guy wrote about his philosophy of race. According to the author, a colored person's pain will only end if white people die."

"The fuck?" Ichigo said.

"There's a lot of bullshit in this."

"Then why are you still reading it?"

"OCD, remember?" Toshiro said. "I can't start a book and not finish it."

"Ask your therapist if I can borrow that," Ichigo said. "I'm kind of interested."

"Sure." Toshiro tucked a bookmark into the book and closed it. He carefully placed it on the bedside table and smiled.

"It's time."

* * *

Toshiro kissed a young, black haired woman with a round belly. Ichigo's heart pounded as they stood in the common room. His family and friends were probably in the elevator right now. Ichigo wondered how they would react once they reunited. He was pretty sure that Isshin and Yuzu would be crying. While he waited, Ichigo watched Rangiku hug her squealing friends. All her friends were models so Ichigo couldn't help but occasionally glance at their large chests and bottoms.

Suddenly, the bridge of Ichigo's nose got cold. Ichigo turned and dodged an incoming kick just in time. He didn't need to hear the voice to know who it was.

"ICHIGO-AHHH!" Isshin cried as he slammed into the wall.

"What the hell dad?!" Ichigo snapped. "Is that how you greet your sick son?!" Isshin wasn't moving, so Ichigo was sure that the impact knocked him out. Ichigo was about to walk over to Isshin when a bunch of familiar voices called out for him.

"ICHIGO!"

"ICHI-NII!"

A grin spread across Ichigo's face as he turned around. Standing in front of him were Karin, Yuzu, Tatsuki, Chad, Keigo, Mizuiro, Uryu, his wife Nemu, and their 2 year old son, Soken.

Yuzu ran up to Ichigo and wrapped her thin arms around him. She cried into his shirt.

"ICHI-NII!" Yuzu sobbed.

Ichigo patted her back and gently pushed her away. "Yuzu, you're 25 years old. Stop acting like you're 5."

"B-But Ichi-nii! You're in a mental hospital!" Yuzu wailed. "And Orihime-chan divorced you!"

Karin grabbed Yuzu's shirt and pulled her away. She smacked her head. "Sometimes, you talk too much." She glanced up at Ichigo while Yuzu rubbed her head and whimpered. "Hey Nii-"

"ICHIGO!" Keigo tackled into Ichigo. Ichigo stumbled back, but managed to keep his balance.

"ICHIGO I'M SO SORRY!" Keigo cried.

Ichigo patted his back. "It's fine, Keigo. It's not your fault." He paused. "How's Midori?"

Midori was Keigo's on-and-off girlfriend. Last time Ichigo checked, Keigo and Midori were dating.

Keigo's lip quivered. "She dumped me on Friday. Said I was too immature for her and we could never have a future together."

"Doesn't she say that all the time?"

"Yeah but this time she meant it!"

Mizuiro stopped beside them and pulled Keigo off. "Mr. Asano, stop being such a drama queen. We're here to have fun, not worry Ichigo."

"Stop addressing me so formally!" Keigo said.

Ichigo smiled. It was nice to see some things never change.

Uryu, Chad, and Tatsuki walked up to them. Nemu trailed behind with Soken in her arms. Ichigo had always wondered what Uryu saw in Nemu. Sure, she was pretty and seemed smart, but she was so…quiet. Ichigo couldn't remember having a single conversation with her. In fact, he couldn't remember Nemu talking to anyone except Uryu.

"Ichigo…" Tatsuki hugged Ichigo. "Ichigo, I'm so sorry."

Ichigo hugged her back. "Don't be."

"You don't understand," Tatsuki said. "I-I could've stopped this from happening."

Ichigo shoved Tatsuki away and grit his teeth. "There was nothing you could've done." He hated seeing people take the blame for something that wasn't their fault.

Tatsuki stared sadly at Ichigo. "Ichigo, I knew Grimmjow."

Ichigo stared blankly at Tatsuki. The gears in his brain seemed to have stopped moving.

"You know how Karakura Elementary has people with different jobs visit the kindergarteners and tell them about their jobs?" Tatsuki asked. "Well, Grimmjow visited Orihime's class to talk about boxing. He called Orihime "pumpkin" cause of her hair color and that pissed her off. The day was already going badly for her so she invited me over that night to rant. Then some guy broke into the house and Grimmjow, who happened to be walking by, saw this and knocked the guy out. Sometime later, I went shopping with Orihime and we bumped into Grimmjow and his friend. After that, Orihime and Grimmjow grew close and hung out with each other a lot." Tatsuki's gaze fell. "I didn't think something was going on between them, and I thought you knew about Grimmjow so I never told you about him. I'm sorry, Ichigo."

Ichigo stared at Tatsuki, unsure what to feel. The first thing he thought was, _Grimmjow's a boxer? Huh, that explains the stance he took._

"Tatsuki…" Ichigo began. Tatsuki flinched, as if she was expecting Ichigo to yell at her.

"Is Grimmjow a good person?"

Tatsuki looked up at him, startled. "Huh?"

"Is Grimmjow a good person?" Ichigo repeated.

Tatsuki thought about his question. "Generally."

"Good." Ichigo scratched his head. "It's fine, Tatsuki. I appreciate your honesty." He paused and stepped back to get a decent view of everyone. "Look, I don't want to spend the day hearing all of you apologize. Tell me something happy."

Tatsuki smiled after a moment. A light blush appeared on her face. "Well…"

Ichigo's eyes widened as Tatsuki locked her fingers with Chad's. Chad smiled slightly.

"Oh my fucking god!" Ichigo laughed. "Chad, you finally got the balls to ask her, didn't you?"

Chad had been in love with Tatsuki since high school but never acted on his feelings. The big guy was surprisingly shy. It was more than wonderful to see Chad muster the courage to ask Tatsuki out, and for her to say ''yes.''

"How long?" Ichigo asked.

"Two days," Tatsuki said, beaming.

Ichigo smirked. "Well, try not to beat up Chad too often, 'kay?"

Tatsuki's eye twitched. Ichigo prepared to dodge the punch that was definitely going to come. Her punches were strong enough to create a dent in someone's head. Fortunately, Isshin leaped in between them just as Tatsuki made a fist. Unfortunately, Isshin wrapped his arms around Ichigo so tightly, he couldn't breathe.

"ICHIGO!" Isshin cried. "MY ONLY SON! I'VE MISSED YOU SO MUCH! COME HOME NOW!"

Ichigo's arms ached so badly, they might as well have been broken. Unable to tell his hysterical father to let go, Ichigo gasped for air. For the first time in a while, Ichigo was sincerely concerned that death was just around the corner.

Karin smacked Isshin's head, forcing him to let go of Ichigo. As Ichigo panted, he mentally thanked Karin for saving his life.

"Karin, why'd you hit your poor father so hard?" Isshin whimpered as he rubbed his head.

Karin glared at Isshin. "Ichigo looked like he was going to pass out!"

"I can't help that I missed my boy so much!"

Ichigo half closed his eyes. His lips slowly curved into a smile. Seeing the glow in Tatsuki and Chad's faces as they held hands and Karin scolding Isshin made Ichigo realize how much he missed them. It was as if his friends were physically linked to him and without them around, a part of Ichigo would be missing. Ichigo turned to the one person he hadn't greeted yet.

"Still quiet as always, Uryu?" Ichigo said.

Uryu smirked and pushed up his glasses. "I don't have much to say."

"Bullshit," Ichigo said. "There must be _something_ interesting going on. Are you working on any cases now?"

"Actually, I am," Uryu answered. "You know how that serial killer was arrested? Well, I'm the prosecutor."

The serial killer was a man who called himself As Nödt. Before his arrest, Nödt kidnapped children and crucified them. He was infamous for writing "Fear Rules All" with the victim's blood.

"Is there actually someone defending him?" Ichigo inquired. It seemed strange that anyone would want to defend someone so cruel.

"Some people doubt he's the _real_ As Nödt," Uryu explained. "I could be prosecuting against an innocent man but all the evidence does not favor him."

"Good," Ichigo spat. "Someone like him deserves to rot in hell."

Uryu cleared his throat. "So what about you? Anything interesting happen since you've lived here?"

Ichigo's eyes widened. "Oh! I almost forgot! I need your help."

Uryu sighed. "Of course you do. Who'd you piss off this time?"

Ichigo flushed. "Kuchiki, Byakuya's sister."

Uryu's jaw dropped. Even the calm, stoic Nemu jumped slightly. Uryu groaned and rubbed his face.

"Jesus, Kurosaki. What the hell did you do?"

Ichigo scratched his head. "Well…his sister is a bipolar sex addict-"

"A bipolar sex addict?" Uryu interrupted. "Kuchiki, Byakuya's sister is a sex addict?"

Ichigo waved his arms. "Just shut up and listen. Basically, I won her trust and she opened up to me about her coitus."

Nemu placed a hand over Soken's ear while Uryu grimaced. "Please don't tell me the details."

"Shush. Anyways, I asked her if she was always "like that" and she got mad. She accused me of judging her."

Uryu shrugged. "Well, it _does_ sound judgmental."

"Thanks, Sherlock," Ichigo said sarcastically. He reverted back to his somewhat helpless tone. "I tried to make her understand that I wasn't judging her, that I wanted to be her friend. But she ran off."

Uryu was silent. Ichigo suddenly realized that everyone else was staring at him. They had heard the story. Ichigo's face grew warm. Without warning, Isshin grabbed Ichigo's shirt and punched him.

"What the fuck, dad!" Ichigo wiped his bloody nose and pushed Isshin away.

"Bad Ichigo, bad!" Isshin scolded. "I didn't raise my son to be a stupid dog who can't keep his mouth shut!"

"I wasn't talking to you!" Ichigo snapped.

Keigo licked his lips. "Kuchiki, Byakuya's sister is a sex addict? On a scale of Tatsuki to Orihime, how hot is she?" Mizuiro smacked the back of his head. Tatsuki glowered at Keigo fiercely, causing him to shrink back as he rubbed his head. Ichigo wanted to punch Keigo for that, but he needed to hear Uryu's insight.

Uryu tapped his chin. "When did this happen?"

"Yesterday."

Uryu sighed. "I personally think that you should leave Kuchiki alone for now. What you said was very offensive and she doesn't sound like the most forgiving person. Just give her some space and maybe she'll forgive you."

"Maybe," Ichigo repeated.

Uryu shrugged. "Hey, I don't know what goes through her mind. Maybe she'll forgive you. Maybe she'll decided that you hurt her too much."

Ichigo winced. "I hope to god that the latter doesn't happen."

Uryu stared at Ichigo. "You're really serious about becoming her friend, aren't you?"

Ichigo nodded solemnly. "Rukia is alone. She needs someone."

Uryu smiled. "Don't we all?"

There was a moment of silence, which Ichigo found comforting. Of course, this silence had to be broken and of course the person who ruined the moment was Isshin.

Isshin was bawling. "Oh Ichigo, you're so kind! I'm so proud of you!"

Yuzu, whose eyes were filled with tears, nodded vigorously. "Don't give up, Ichi-nii!"

Isshin and Yuzu cried in each other's arms while Karin scowled, clearly annoyed and embarrassed by the waterworks. Ichigo normally felt the same but at the moment, he didn't mind.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ichigo thought he saw Rukia standing in the hallway, watching him. But when he looked out of the common room, she was gone.

* * *

Time flies when you're having fun. Oh how true that statement was as Ichigo watched his friends and family leave. An hour had passed but to Ichigo, it felt like minutes.

"We'll see you next Sunday, Ichi-nii!" Yuzu called out, waving at Ichigo.

Ichigo waved back and forced himself to smile. He knew he should be glad that he got to see everyone again, and he was, but Ichigo couldn't help but feel…lonely.

"Bye Ichigo!" Mizuiro said.

"Bye! Say hello to Ayame for me!" Ichigo replied. Ayame was Mizuiro's wife. For some reason, she held Ichigo in low regard. The feeling was mutual, though. In Ichigo's opinion, Ayame was too controlling. It was surprising that Ayame allowed Mizuiro to visit in the first place.

Tatsuki suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned around. Ichigo raised an eyebrow as the short-haired woman marched up to him. Chad trailed behind.

"What's wrong-?"

"Ichigo," Tatsuki murmured. "I know you're wondering why Orihime cheated on you."

Ichigo's hand twitched. He felt hollow all of a sudden.

When he didn't respond, Tatsuki said, "Of course you are. That was stupid of me to say." Her gaze lowered. "I want you to know that I have no idea why Orihime was unfaithful. I tried talking to her, but she kept pushing me away." Tatsuki looked back up at him, her eyes filled with determination. "But I will not stop until she confesses."

"I won't, either," Chad said. "All of us won't."

Ichigo stared at Chad and Tatsuki. He looked over them. Uryu, Keigo, Mizuiro, his family, and even Nemu smiled at him.

Ichigo smiled back, for real this time.

Tatsuki playfully punched Ichigo's arm. "See ya next week, Strawberry!"

Ichigo laughed. "Hey, you know I hate being called that!"

Everyone said goodbye one last time before walking into the elevator. Toshiro hugged Momo gently while Rangiku blew kisses at her friends.

As Ichigo stood there, he felt a sudden surge of determination.

He was going to find out what went wrong between him and Orihime.

And he was going to win Rukia's forgiveness.

**Not the most exciting chapter in my opinion so I hope you guys weren't bored. But I suppose it did bring up an important question: Why did Orihime cheat on Ichigo?**


	6. Wingman

**Guys, I have bad news. Hayao Miyazaki's new movie, "The Wind Rises," is his last one. He's retiring. Ikr...I cried when I watched the trailer. He's one of my favorite people of all time. He better win the Oscar.**

**But I do have good news. This chapter is longer than the others, but is the best in my opinion. There's actually some Ichiruki *le gasp* Hope you like it!**

Chapter 6

Wingman

"Push it, push it to the limit, limit, 'cause we're in it to win it, OH YEAH!" Kenpachi tossed his head back as he obnoxiously sang the "OH YEAH" part.

Ichigo panted as he hit the stop button on the treadmill. The belt slowed to a stop. Sweat dripped down Ichigo's back. He pulled off his shirt and began wiping perspiration off his neck and shoulders. Ichigo heard someone inhale sharply. Ichigo turned his head slightly and saw a sex addict staring at him, her face red and tongue sticking out. Feeling uncomfortable, Ichigo quickly put his shirt back on.

Kenpachi clapped his hands before lifting up a 200 pound weight. "WORK WORK IT HARDER GOTTA TAKE IT FARTHER!"

Ichigo watched as Kenpachi held up the weight, his muscular arms shaking. After a few seconds, Kenpachi slowly placed the weight down. Nearby, some guys tossed irritated looks at Kenpachi.

"Hey, Kenpachi," Ichigo said. "I get the feeling that you should sing a little quieter."

Kenpachi laughed as he wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead. "Hey, I can't help that I love singing."

"I know," Ichigo said carefully. "But we're not the only ones here. It would be polite to sing not so loudly."

Kenpachi scratched his head. "I guess you have a point."

Ichigo sat down on the treadmill. "That song you were singing…is it from _High School Musical_?"

"Nope," Kenpachi said. "But it was sung by Corbin Bleu, who's in _High School Musical_." Kenpachi sighed. "God, I love that movie. It really reminds me of my high school."

Ichigo smirked. "Why? Were you in the drama club?"

Kenpachi laughed. "Hell no! It's just the scene where everyone's singing in the cafeteria. I used to start things like that all the time, though I'll admit there was more fighting than singing."

Ichigo chuckled. "I can see that happening."

Kenpachi took a seat next to Ichigo. "What was your high school experience like?"

Ichigo's memories began playing right in front of him like a movie. Sitting on the rooftop with Uryu, Chad, Keigo, and Mizuiro, meeting Orihime, sparring with Tatsuki, Orihime's teary face as Ichigo comforted her, ranking 23rd in the grade, walking Orihime home, playing beach volleyball with the guys, realizing he loved Orihime…confessing to Orihime…their first date…

High school, although it had its downs, didn't seem so bad now that Ichigo thought about it. Things were so much easier back then.

_And Orihime was loyal_, Ichigo thought bitterly.

Kenpachi got up and stretched his arms, his eyes roaming around the room. He seemed to be searching for something. When his gaze settled on something, he grinned. Ichigo followed his gaze and stifled a sigh when he saw what, or _who_ Kenpachi was staring at.

Unohana. He should've known.

Unohana stared aimlessly around the gym, monitoring the patients. Her head turned to their direction. She smiled politely before looking away. Ichigo realized that Unohana just caught them staring at her. Feeling embarrassed, he turned to Kenpachi, who was still ogling the young nurse.

"Uh, Kenpachi?" Ichigo said.

Kenpachi didn't look at him as he asked, "Hey, Ichigo, how do you know if a girl is into you?"

Ichigo scratched his head. It would be an understatement to say that the orange head was dense when it came to women. It had actually taken him over a year to realize his feelings for Orihime.

"Well…it depends on the girl," Ichigo said lamely. "Some girls are easy, some aren't." His last comment sounded more like a question.

Kenpachi looked down at Ichigo. Damn, the guy was tall. "Unohana would be considered the hard type, right?"

Ichigo shifted his feet. "Er, I'd like to think of her as _professional_."

Kenpachi snorted. "Right, _professional_. You sound just like Toshiro." Kenpachi cleared his throat and raised his voice to mirror Toshiro's. "_It's unprofessional for a nurse like Miss Unohana to fancy a patient. Miss Unohana could lose her job_."

"He has a point," Ichigo said. "Unless you check yourself out of Las Noches, your chances are…small…"

Ichigo's voice trailed off. Kenpachi was giving Ichigo a weird look, like he just thought of something crazy. He probably did.

"Hey," Kenpachi said. "You're friends with Unohana, right?"

_Friends?_ Ichigo glanced at Unohana. Sure, he and Unohana were friendly with each other, but was it right to call her a friend?

"Whatever," Kenpachi said when Ichigo didn't reply. "You get along with each other. That's enough." Kenpachi broke into a huge grin. "Wanna be my wingman?"

Ichigo jumped slightly and stood up. "Your wingman?"

"Yeah," Kenpachi said. "You'll help me win over Unohana."

Ichigo crossed his arms to form a X. "No. Sorry Kenpachi, but I'd be a terrible wingman. Besides, we could get in serious trouble."

Kenpachi grabbed Ichigo's shoulders and shook him. "We're talking about _love_, Ichigo! Who cares about the stupid rules? Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be a great wingman."

"Well I don't see why you need _my_ help," Ichigo said. "I'm sure you can get Unohana yourself."

Kenpachi let go of Ichigo and scratched his head. "I thought that too until yesterday…"

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"

Kenpachi looked back at Unohana. "Well…"

_Kenpachi speed walked through the corridor, his black eyes full of determination. He was on a mission. Today was visiting day and since Kenpachi never really got visitors, he was free to wander around while everyone else hung in the common room. And since everyone was in the common room…_

_Kenpachi smirked as he thought about being alone with the raven haired sex goddess, the one and only Retsu Unohana. The thought was enough to make something in his pants stiffen…OK he knew what that 'something' was but that wasn't the point._

_He was going to make Unohana realize that she wanted him as much as he wanted her._

_Kenpachi grinned when he saw the nurse walking through the hallway, a smile on those delicious looking lips. She stopped at the sound of his footsteps and faced him. Although her lips were still smiling, Kenpachi could see that the smile no longer reach her eyes._

_"Mr. Zaraki, where are you going?" Unohana asked. _

_Kenpachi didn't answer Unohana. Instead, he grabbed Unohana's arms and pinned her against the wall. Her blue eyes widened in shock._

_"Let go of me Mr. Zaraki," Unohana ordered. Her authoritative tone excited Kenpachi._

_Kenpachi's grin widened. "You sure know how to raise a cock, Unohana. Did you grow up on a farm?"_

_Unohana cringed and glared at him. "That is extremely inappropriate, Mr. Zaraki. Please let go of me or I will report to Mr. Aizen."_

_Kenpachi laughed. "You always say that. Now, enough talking. Let's go to my room."_

_Unohana attempted to shake free from Kenpachi's grip, but he only held her tighter. _

_"There will only be seven planets left after I destroy Uranus," Kenpachi said. _

_"I can have you arrested for sexual harassment," Unohana threatened. _

_"Then why haven't you done it yet?" Kenpachi released Unohana. "You want me and you know it. By the way, how am I in your dreams?"_

_Kenpachi suddenly heard a cracking sound. His cheek stung. Unohana's hand was raised. It took Kenpachi a moment to realize that he had just been slapped. _

_If it had been someone else, Kenpachi probably would've lost it. But Unohana's slap actually felt _good_._

_"Can you do that again?" Kenpachi asked._

_Unohana's cheeks turned red. Out of embarrassment or anger, Kenpachi couldn't tell. She walked away briskly. _

Ichigo stared at Kenpachi, unsure what to say. What the hell was Kenpachi _thinking_? Did he even think?

"So yeah, I need your help," Kenpachi said.

"I'm sorry Kenpachi, but I can't," Ichigo said slowly. "Unohana's right. She could call the cops on you."

"But she _hasn't_," Kenpachi said. "I've been chasing after her ever since I saw her. She _could_ call the cops but she never has. At least, not on me."

"She could just want to avoid trouble," Ichigo pointed out.

"But if she truly hated my advances, she would have," Kenpachi argued. "Don't you see, Ichigo? She's in denial."

Ichigo sighed. "You're really serious about this, aren't you?"

"Of course!" Kenpachi laughed. "I've never felt this way about a woman before." He gave Ichigo a look that seemed to be a poor copy of puppy dog eyes. "So help me win the woman of my dreams?"

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. When he didn't respond, Kenpachi clapped his hands together like he was praying and whimpered. That's right, _whimpered._

Ichigo groaned. "If I help you, can you promise to do exactly what I say?"

Kenpachi nodded. "I'll do anything you ask me to do."

"Even if I say to not use crude pick-up lines?"

"As much as I love them, yes," Kenpachi said. "I'll refrain from using them."

Ichigo sighed. "Fine."

"YAY!" Kenpachi hugged Ichigo and spun him around in the air. His hug was even more painful than Isshin's. Ichigo gagged.

Kenpachi placed Ichigo on the floor. "Bro, I owe you one!"

"Hell yeah you do!" Ichigo snapped.

Kenpachi laughed. His face suddenly became more serious. "So what should I do first?"

Ichigo scratched his head. "Er…"

He looked around the room. Ichigo's gaze landed on a weight near Unohana.

"Go lift that weight," Ichigo said, pointing to it. "Pretend you don't notice Unohana."

"I like your thought process," Kenpachi said. He marched to the other side of the room.

As Ichigo watched Kenpachi, a familiar voice said, "Are you seriously helping him?"

Ichigo whirled around. Brown eyes met with violet eyes. "R-Rukia!"

Rukia Kuchiki crossed her arms as she stared at Ichigo. Her black hair was tied back into a stiff ponytail. She was wearing a black tank top and gray yoga pants. Although Rukia was a petite person, she had curves. _Really nice curves_, Ichigo couldn't help but think. True, her breasts were nowhere near as large as Orihime's, but they were…pert.

"I didn't know you exercised at this time," Ichigo stammered.

Rukia raised an eyebrow. "Maybe because I always sit at the other side of the room, all the way in the corner, violently masturbating."

Ichigo scratched his head, suddenly feeling very awkward. "Right."

"Anyways, I walked by and heard what you were saying," Rukia said. "You could get in a lot of trouble, you know."

Ichigo's shoulders slumped. "I know. But Kenpachi wants nothing more than to be with Unohana."

"How thoughtful of you," Rukia said sarcastically. "Has it occurred to you that Miss Unohana could lose her job?"

"I know the negative consequences," Ichigo replied. "And I'm sure Kenpachi is aware of them too. But when it comes to love-"

"You have to take risks, yeah yeah," Rukia sneered. "Do you know how many hearts get broken as a result?"

Ichigo stared at Rukia. Something had flickered her eyes when she said that. It was so quick, though. Ichigo wondered if he was seeing things. Why was Rukia so upset anyway? Last time he checked, Rukia wanted to have nothing to do with him.

Then Ichigo remembered that Rukia's husband was murdered. Did that have something to do with her reaction?

"You have to take risks," Ichigo murmured. "It's an inevitable part of life."

Rukia snorted. "Jesus Christ, how cheesy can you get?"

Ichigo leaned forward and smirked. "Bitch all you want, I'm just going to reject every single negative opinion you have of me."

Rukia rolled her eyes. "Good luck with that." She turned around and walked away.

Ichigo watched Rukia walk away, the smirk still on his face.

Because right before her face had turned completely away from his, Ichigo saw her lips twitch upward.

* * *

"And right after graduation, Orihime brought up the possibility of marriage," Ichigo mumbled.

Urahara leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable.

"I wanted to marry her at that time," Ichigo admitted. "But I wasn't ready to settle down. I suggested we wait until after college and she agreed to it."

Urahara bent down and pulled a manilla folder from beneath the chair. He opened it and scanned a piece of paper.

"It says that you married when you were 25," Urahara said. "You two sure waited a while."

"I was in love with her," Ichigo said without hesitation. "I wanted to make sure we were both ready."

Urahara looked up at Ichigo, his eyebrow raised. "'Was?' Are you no longer in love?"

Ichigo's jaw went slack. The truth was, Ichigo wasn't sure how he felt about Orihime. He didn't hate her, Ichigo knew that. Even though Orihime had shattered his heart, Ichigo could never truly hate anyone he used to care about so much.

But was he still in love? Why was he even questioning himself? Ichigo had truly been in love, so he would know the answer.

Right?

Urahara sighed. "You don't know."

Ichigo shook his head. "I need to think about it."

Urahara lifted his fan up to his face. "You don't sound like a man in love to me."

A muscle in Ichigo's eye twitched, but he said nothing. He didn't trust himself. No, it would be more accurate to say that Ichigo just didn't know how to respond.

Urahara's eye widened. He placed the fan down. His mouth hung open, but quickly turned into a smile. "It's working."

Ichigo cocked his head. "What?"

"The Lithium is working!" Urahara clapped his hands. "Urahara Kisuke, you've done it again!"

"What do you mean the Lithium is working?" Ichigo knit his eyebrows.

Urahara covered his face again with the fan. "What I said before was a little…experiment. If the Lithium wasn't working, you would've lashed out when I accused you of not loving Miss Inoue. But you reacted calmly."

"I beg to differ," Ichigo said. "I reacted calmly because I can control myself. While I acknowledge that I'm hot-headed, I'm _not_ bipolar."

Urahara groaned. "Not this again."

"That day," Ichigo said. "I was just consumed with rage. Orihime fucking cheated on me right in front of my eyes. Who wouldn't react that way? Besides, that was the only time I became that angry."

As the words flew out of Ichigo's mouth, he realized that the last sentence wasn't true. He _had_ felt that angry before. Ichigo could still remember the rage and pain he felt on that rainy day. The memory was so clear, that Ichigo could _feel_ the helplessness reaching his heart and clouding his mind…

"You're hiding something." Urahara's voice broke Ichigo's train of thought.

Ichigo shook his head vigorously. "What do you mean I'm hiding something? You're my therapist, of course I'm telling you everything."

"Sure," Urahara said. He stood up and walked over to Ichigo. He leaned forward so that his face was inches away from Ichigo. Ichigo shrank deeper into the chair. "Tell me, Ichigo. Describe the burning rage you felt when you caught Miss Inoue and Mr. Jaegerjaquez. That fire you felt, that's not healthy. I thought you already accepted that."

Ichigo met Urahara's solemn gaze. "I did. But now, I'm not so sure." Ichigo shoved Urahara away. "I just don't know. How I feel, what I think…this place is really getting to me."

"Getting to you?" Urahara's eyes narrowed. "I thought you were adjusting well."

"Of course you'd think that," Ichigo said dryly. He stood up. To Ichigo's surprise, Urahara was taller than him. "Because Las Noches is so damn comfortable."

"I don't see a problem with that."

Ichigo's lip curled. "Kenpachi's been here for three years. And you know what? He doesn't care. I probably wouldn't either if I weren't so determined to leave."

"Good for you," Urahara said. "That would make curing you much easier."

"But is that really what you want?" A myriad of emotions flooded through Ichigo. Anger, sadness, confusion, and emotions Ichigo couldn't put his finger on because their arrival was so sudden. "From what I can tell, our meetings have been leading to nowhere. And the longer a person stays, the more money this place earns."

"You think we want all the patients to live here for the rest of their lives," Urahara said. His tone betrayed no emotion. "Do you know how many patients are cured each year by us?"

"Do you know how long some patients have been here?" Ichigo clenched his teeth. "Rangiku's been here for two years. Rukia, for three. I heard that Chizuru-"

"Miss Kuchiki?" Urahara interrupted. "You seem to care about her a lot. But considering her ailment…are you two closer than I originally thought?"

Something inside Ichigo snapped. He lunged at Urahara, the rage building up in him. As if anticipating this, Urahara leaned back so that Ichigo carried all the weight. Ichigo crashed into Urahara's chair, knocking it down.

Urahara scribbled something onto his notepad as Ichigo shakily got up. He ripped the paper off and handed it to Ichigo.

"It appears that the Lithium doesn't work after all," Urahara said. "Take .25 milligrams of Xanax."

Ichigo swiped the note form Urahara and shoved it into his pocket. "_It appears that the Lithium doesn't work after all_," Ichigo mimicked. "What was it supposed to do, suppress all of my emotions?"

"It's supposed to help you _control_ your emotions," Urahara corrected. "There's a difference."

The door swung open. Unohana stared at Ichigo and Urahara worriedly.

"I heard a crash, is everything all right?" Unohana's voice trembled slightly. Her eyes focused on Ichigo. "Mr. Kurosaki!" She rushed over to him and placed her hand on Ichigo's cheek. Ichigo winced at the sudden touch, but closed his eyes. Unohana's touch was soft, almost motherly. Despite all the emotions he felt earlier, Ichigo relaxed.

"Why is there a bruise on your face?" Unohana asked. "Dr. Urahara, what happened?"

"Performing an experiment!" Urahara's cheery tone caused Ichigo to open his eyes and stare at him. "I was confirming the effects of Mr. Kurosaki's medication. As I suspected, Lithium doesn't work." Urahara made a peace sign with both hands. "The experiment was a success!"

Ichigo's jaw dropped. No. Fucking. Way. Unohana's reaction surprised Ichigo even more.

"Oh I see!" Unohana said in an amused tone. She moved her hand from Ichigo's cheek to his shoulder. "Let's go, Mr. Kurosaki. Your session with Dr. Urahara is over."

As Unohana guided Ichigo out of the room, he looked back. Urahara smirked and waved. Ichigo bit his lip. The sharp, metallic taste of blood hit him.

Unohana removed her hand from Ichigo. He felt a sudden rush of cold in his shoulder.

"I know you view Dr. Urahara in a bad light," Unohana said as they walked through the hallway. "Many of his clients do. But please try to understand that this is just Dr. Urahara's way of helping the patient."

"Provoking us is supposed to help?"

"It helps him see how serious the conditions are," Unohana said. "And what medication he should prescribe."

Ichigo dug his hands into his pockets. "He says more inappropriate things than appropriate things."

Unohana laughed. "A lot of people here do that." The smile disappeared from her face. Unohana inhaled sharply, like she just received a negative thought.

That made Ichigo remember something. As casually as possible, Ichigo said, "So Unohana, what do you think of Kenpachi?"

Unohana flinched. "He's a patient." Ichigo could tell that Unohana was trying to remain calm.

"He's like Urahara," Ichigo said. "Saying more inappropriate things than appropriate. But he really is a nice guy. He helped me settle down here."

"Mr. Zaraki's not a bad man," Unohana agreed. She pressed the up button of the elevator. The doors slid open. There were already two people in there. One was Hanataro, the other…Ichigo nearly got a heart attack when realization dawned on him.

"You've got to be shitting me!" Rukia exclaimed. "Why do I see you everywhere I go? Are you stalking me?"

"Why would I want to stalk _you_?" Ichigo shot back. He and Unohana entered the elevator. The doors closed and the elevator began moving up.

Unohana and Hanataro began conversing with each other almost immediately. Ichigo and Rukia, meanwhile, stood next to each other silently.

"You know, I don't feel as much tension between us as before," Ichigo said. "Are you no longer mad at me?"

Rukia snorted. "Nice try, Ichigo. But I can hold a grudge."

"I'd like to see you try."

"You're too stubborn for your own good."

"I reject that."

The corner of Rukia's mouth twitched. She was trying not to laugh.

The elevator stopped at the fifteenth floor and the doors opened. The four adults stepped out. Ichigo and Unohana turned left while Hanataro and Rukia turned right.

"See ya during closure!" Ichigo called out.

"I'll just bring my invisibility cloak!" Rukia called back.

Ichigo smirked as he and Unohana made their way to his room.

As they walked, Ichigo couldn't help but look back.

**Fun fact: I don't ship KenUno. I just thought it would work as a nice subplot xD**

**Also, I've been getting messages on how Rukia's quote "What doesn't kill you better run like a black man" is racist. To everyone who thinks that, you're either over thinking it or don't know what racist means. Racist means thinking your race is superior to another. When I wrote that, I meant that black people run fast. I didn't mean that black people run fast from the police, which I'm sure is what you guys were thinking, I meant that they ran fast period. That's not racism, that's a stereotype and it's not a bad stereotype either. I think it's a good thing to run fast. And no, I don't actually believe all black people run fast. I just wrote that because Rukia was pissed, and people say things that come off as offensive when pissed.**

**Point is, if I say something stereotypical, don't assume it's racism. I am not a racist person. I have friends/acquaintances that are white, black, asian, and hispanic. **


	7. Underneath the Beauty

**SORRY I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN LIKE 3 WEEKS! I'VE BEEN REALLY BUSY WITH SCHOOL AND SOFTBALL AND SHIT! I HOPE THIS CHAPTER WAS WORTH THE WAIT**

Chapter 7

Underneath the Beauty

Ichigo couldn't have been more happy that the week was coming to an end. A lot could happen in seven days. Kenpachi had made many desperate attempts to woo Unohana, but to no avail. Naturally, Kenpachi blamed Ichigo.

"You suck at being a wingman," Kenpachi said.

"I know," Ichigo replied a matter-of-factly.

Toshiro and Ichigo had gotten into countless debates over literature.

"That is _not_ what Shakespeare was trying to convey!" Toshiro insisted, his arms spreading apart.

"Did you even _read_ "Romeo and Juliet?!" Of course he's trying to say that money causes chaos!"

Ichigo and Rangiku had bonded with each other over pool.

"Rematch!" Ichigo said as Rangiku effortlessly struck the 8 ball into the pocket.

Rangiku giggled. "Are you a masochist, Ichigo? Cause you seem to enjoy getting your ass whooped!"

His sessions with Urahara seemed more aggravating than usual.

"Did you often find yourself having angry sex with Miss Inoue?" Urahara asked.

"THAT IS NOT APPROPRIATE AT ALL!" Ichigo shouted. "AND NO, I DIDN'T!"

Rukia still kept a certain distance from Ichigo, but Ichigo could see that he was slowly winning over her trust.

"You're stalking me, aren't you?" Rukia said, crossing her arms. It was gym time and Ichigo had opted to use the ellipticals instead of the treadmill. It just so happened that Rukia's favorite machine were the ellipticals.

Ichigo smirked. "You act as if that's a bad thing."

Rukia rolled her eyes, but she too smiled, amusement dancing in her violet eyes.

Ichigo's eyelids were heavy. He wanted to sleep and forget about the world, but the sun was still out and there wasn't a single sliver of darkness in the sky. Today was also visiting day, so Ichigo needed to stay awake in order to see his friends. Unfortunately, only Keigo was able to come since everyone else had to work. Ichigo loved Keigo, he really did. But the brown haired pervert could really get on his nerve sometimes.

"…So I was at the bar on Thursday night and sitting next to me was this girl with HUGE tits!" Keigo curved his arms upward over his chest. "I swear to god, they were the size of Mt. Fuji. I couldn't stop staring! Of course, the chick eventually noticed and instead of slapping me she grabbed my arm and dragged me over to the bathroom."

Ichigo clapped his hands over his ears. "I don't want to hear the details."

Keigo pulled Ichigo's arms away. "Listen! Because just as we were going to the girls' bathroom, _Midori_ stepped out."

"You're shitting me," Ichigo said. "Midori doesn't drink."

"I shit you not! Midori was there!" Keigo beamed. His brown eyes glowed. "Midori saw us and ran away. I chased after her and after some slapping and insults, we made out and now we're back together!"

Ichigo slapped his forehead and groaned. Keigo never seemed to learn from his mistakes. "Keigo, why? Just, why? You and Midori need to stop."

"But Ichigo, I'm in love!" Keigo protested.

Before Ichigo was about to lecture Keigo, a deep voice behind him said, "Yo."

Ichigo turned around and before his eyes could find the face of the person, he heard a loud bang and felt something hot, like fire, shoot through his abdomen. Ichigo's mouth opened, but no sound escaped. He collapsed, banging his head on the cold floor. Stars twirled around in his vision. Many people around him screamed.

"Ichigo-" Keigo bent down.

"Stay away from him!" Ichigo sensed Keigo slowly backing away.

Ichigo clutched his abdomen, his hand becoming wet with blood, and grit his teeth. Fuck, it hurt. His torso felt as if a burning hand had reached into him and began twisting his innards. Ichigo's vision blurred.

Before he lost his vision, Ichigo looked up at his attacker. His eyes widened when he recognized the chiseled face and bright blue hair and eyes.

"Pay back, bitch," Grimmjow growled. He pointed a shiny black gun at Ichigo's face. "Adios," He said and pressed the trigger. 

* * *

Ichigo's eyes snapped open. His breaths came out quick and ragged. Sharp pants escaped from his lips. Sweat rolled down his forehead and onto the pillow.

_It was a dream_. _It was just a dream._ Ichigo told himself that multiple times. His breathing became more even, but his body was still shaking.

The dream had seemed so real, even the area Grimmjow shot felt cold. Ichigo placed his hand on his abdomen and breathed a sigh of relief when he felt no blood.

Ichigo glanced over at the digital clock. It was 3:16 AM…and Friday. More relief washed over Ichigo. It should've been enough to calm down Ichigo, but his body refused to stay still. Strangely, his body was swaying side to side like a boat on choppy water.

That's when it hit Ichigo. It wasn't just his body that was moving, but the entire bed as well. His bed creaked after each sway.

"I'll never let you go, Jack…" Toshiro mumbled in his sleep.

Ichigo threw his blanket off and scrambled out of the bed. He stumbled as soon as his feet hit the floor.

_The whole room was shaking._

"Shit!" Ichigo wobbled over to Toshiro and pulled his blanket off. Toshiro instinctively curled up.

Ichigo placed his hand on Toshiro's shoulder and shook him. "Toshiro, wake up!"

Toshiro groaned and slapped Ichigo's hand. "Stop it, Jack."

Gritting his teeth, Ichigo grabbed the collar of Toshiro's shirt. He yanked Toshiro's body up, causing Toshiro's turquoise eyes to snap open. His jaw went slack.

"What the-?"

"No time for questions!" Ichigo said. "I think we're in the middle of an earthquake!"

"An earth-" Toshiro's voice was cut off as Ichigo grabbed his arm. The two men half ran half stumbled to the door. Ichigo flung the door open.

There was chaos everywhere. Patients shoved and screamed at each other as they tried to enter the elevator. Some were smart enough to head for the stairs, but the swaying of the building caused them to crash into the walls, into other people. All of the nurses were trying to placate the mob, but their efforts were in vain.

At that very moment, Unohana's voice echoed from the loudspeaker, "ATTENTION EVERYONE! PLEASE CALM DOWN AND STAY IN YOUR ROOMS! DROP, COVER AND HOLD ON TO SOMETHING UNTIL THE EARTHQUAKE ENDS!"

A tall nurse with short lavender hair placed her hand on a hysterical man's shoulder. "Sir, please calm down and-"

The man grabbed the woman's arm and threw her against the wall. The woman's body slumped to the floor and remained motionless.

Ichigo's lip curled. Letting go of Toshiro, who was calling out for Kenpachi and Rangiku, he marched over to the man. The man's beady eyes met Ichigo's angry ones. He must've sensed a confrontation, because he began walking over to him with a fist raised. Ichigo made a fist.

Las Noches swayed to the right. The swing was more powerful than the previous ones, causing Ichigo, the man, and many others to fall into the wall. Well, technically Ichigo didn't fall into the _wall_.

"FUCKER!" Rukia Kuchiki shouted as Ichigo's body crashed into her much smaller one. Startled by the sound of her voice, Ichigo jerked back and landed on his butt.

"R-Rukia!" Ichigo stammered. "What are you doing here?"

Rukia got up and dusted her purple t-shirt. She shot an irritated look at him. "Unlike the morons congregating around the elevator, I know that it's much safer to take the stairs." She groaned. "Out of all the people who had to slam into me, of course it had to be your fat ass."

Ichigo shot up. The building swayed and Ichigo almost lost his balance. "Wow Rukia, you sure know how to lower someone's self-esteem," he replied dryly. "Where'd you acquire a skill like that? Law school?"

Hand against the wall, Rukia began carefully walking over to the stairs. Ichigo copied her.

"Hahaha you're soo funny!" Rukia shot back. "Who taught you such awesome comebacks? Your mom?"

Ichigo faltered and felt his entire body grow cold. He stared at Rukia with his jaw slack, unsure what to say. Rukia glanced back and raised an eyebrow. Maybe Ichigo was imagining it, but after a moment, Rukia's once hard gaze grew softer.

"Let's just keep going," Rukia murmured.

"ICHIGO!" Ichigo whirled around and saw Kenpachi racing towards them. Toshiro was lying limply on the muscular man's back, while Rangiku trailed behind.

"What happened to Toshiro?!" Ichigo sputtered. Drool was trickling out of the corner of Toshiro's mouth.

"Some fat ass fell on him," Kenpachi said, shrugging. "He's knocked out cold."

"Shit." Ichigo walked carefully behind Kenpachi and raised his hand to check for any wounds on Toshiro's body.

The building swayed again and Ichigo lost his balance. Rangiku grabbed his shoulder and helped Ichigo regain his balance.

"WE HAVE TO GET OUT NOW!" Rukia shouted. The four of them pushed through the crowd. Kenpachi ran ahead and kicked the door to the stairway open. It slammed against the wall, ricocheted back, and closed.

"DAMMIT KENPACHI!" Rangiku pushed the door open and gestured at the stairs. Kenpachi jumped over each flight, with Toshiro's legs flying around in all directions. Ichigo, Rukia, and Rangiku ran down two at a time. When they reached the 10th floor, a door connecting the stairway and the 10th floor hall opened and a mass of patients stormed out.

"OOF!" Ichigo whirled around and saw a man knock Rukia into the wall. He winced as Rukia's head snapped back.

"RUKIA!" Ichigo shoved his way back up the stairs and looped Rukia's arm around his shoulder. Damn, she was short. Ichigo had to bend down. He carefully, but quickly, made his way down the stairs.

Rukia's eyes opened halfway. She groggily looked up at Ichigo. "Hey, you're a doctor, right?" Rukia slurred. "I think I'm concussed."

"I think I better get you out of here first." 

* * *

To Ichigo's surprise, the earthquake hadn't caused much destruction. All of the buildings were intact, and even though they were still swaying, none of them were toppling over each other. No one was outside either, except for him, Rukia, Rangiku, Kenpachi and Toshiro. All the other patients who had fled from Las Noches probably went back inside.

"What's your name? Where are you?" Ichigo asked as he examined Rukia's face.

Rukia stared at him, her blinks slow and heavy. "Kuchiki, Rukia. We're sitting outside of Las Noches."

"Do you know what year it is?"

"2014."

"OK, you don't have a concussion," Ichigo said, relieved.

Rukia yawned. She gazed at Ichigo in a languid manner before slowly shutting her eyes. Before Ichigo could ask if she was asleep, Rukia's body fell forward onto his lap. Ichigo sat still for a moment, unsure of what to do, before awkwardly placing his hand on Rukia's head. Her black hair was silky and faintly smelled of lavender.

"I've never seen her look so peaceful." Ichigo looked up at Rangiku, who was gazing at Rukia with a smile. Ichigo smiled. It was nice to see Rangiku look at Rukia with kindness instead of caution.

Ichigo glanced around the empty, dimly lit streets. Kenpachi was waving a hand in front of Toshiro's dazed face. "It's weird. We were in the middle of an earthquake, yet everything is so calm."

Rangiku laughed. "It's cause this earthquake wasn't very severe. Probably a 4 or 5 on the Richter scale."

"N-Not severe?!" Ichigo blurted. "Then why was everyone freaking out?!"

"It's always been like this," Rangiku explained. "Many people at Las Noches overreact in situations like this." She sighed. "Honestly, it's probably safer to run out during an earthquake than to stay in that living nightmare."

Ichigo looked up at the light purple sky. There were streaks of pink and yellow light poking out from the clouds. As a gentle breeze rolled by, Ichigo suddenly realized that for the first time in almost three weeks, he was outside.

_I'm outside. I'm free._ The thought caused Ichigo to laugh out loud. Rangiku laughed with him, though it was clear she had no idea why Ichigo was so happy.

Overwhelmed by glee, Ichigo gently moved Rukia's warm, light body off of him and placed her head on the road. He got up and did something Ichigo thought he never would have done.

"I too am not a bit tamed!" Ichigo shouted into the void, his arms spread apart as if about to embrace the city lights. "I too am untranslatable. I sound my barbaric YAWP over the roofs of the WORRLLDD!"

Rangiku laughed and tossed her head back, strawberry curls bouncing. She let out a long howl. Out of the corner of his eye, Ichigo could see Toshiro laughing while Kenpachi howled with Rangiku.

A brown object, probably a flower pot, flew from an apartment complex and shattered on the pavement.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" A raspy voice yelled. Ichigo, Rangiku, Kenpachi, and Toshiro laughed harder.

"You're a weird guy, you know that?" Ichigo looked down. Rukia was awake and staring up at Ichigo.

Ichigo laughed. "You have no idea." 

* * *

"Take care Ichi-nii!" Yuzu called and walked into the elevator. Ichigo smiled and waved goodbye. It was a relief that the earthquake didn't affect anyone. Even Bad-Luck-Keigo was alright.

_And Grimmjow wasn't here either_. Ichigo thought. Recalling that nightmare still sent shivers down Ichigo's spine.

Stretching his arms, Ichigo walked out of the common room. The monster in his stomach growled, demanding to be fed. Thank god it was dinner time.

As Ichigo walked to the cafeteria, he saw from far away, a couch and window at the end of the hall. Nothing new about that, but Ichigo stopped when he saw a person he knew sitting on the couch.

Ichigo jogged to the couch. "Hey, Rangiku!"

Rangiku was sitting on the couch with her legs crossed. She was leaning her cheek against her elbow and staring contemplatively out the window. Rangiku glanced at Ichigo. She was wearing no makeup and wore a plain mint tee, white pants, and baby pink converse. Her attire was so simple, but her beauty was still a league above most women.

"Hey, Ichigo," Rangiku said with a slight smile. Ichigo could tell that the smile was to be polite. Rangiku sounded…tired.

Ichigo sat down next to her and leaned into the couch. Why were all the couches here so damn comfy?

"It's time for dinner," Ichigo said.

"I know," Rangiku replied curtly. "I'm not…hungry."

Ichigo knit his eyebrows. There was something…off about Rangiku. He wasn't used to seeing the ex-model look and act so nonchalant.

"I didn't see your friends today," Ichigo said carefully. "Did something happen to them?"

Rangiku shrugged. "I'm sure they're fine. They just don't visit that often anymore."

"Oh." Ichigo looked away and twiddled his fingers. The two of them didn't speak for what felt like hours.

"Ichigo," Rangiku said suddenly. "Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a bird?"

Ichigo blinked. "A bird?" He scratched his head. "I think every kid has dreamed of flying."

"I don't mean just that," Rangiku said. She was still gazing out the window. "I wonder…what it's like to just not be human."

Ichigo tapped his chin. "Life would probably be easier," He mused.

"It probably would," Rangiku agreed. She paused. "The biggest difference between humans and animals is our ability to feel emotion. Animals can feel things, but usually not to the same extent as humans. Some animals forget their own kids." She closed her eyes. "Us humans…no matter how much we want to forget, sometimes we just can't. That's why we resort to alcohol."

"Rangiku…" Ichigo began.

"But one glass has no effect," Rangiku continued. "Even one bottle isn't always enough. So you drink more and more until little by little, the pain is dulled. But it never completely fades away."

Shining crystals streamed from Rangiku's eyes. It took Ichigo a moment to realize that they were tears. Rangiku, the woman often seen with a grin, was crying.

"You keep believing that drinking more will get rid of the pain all together," Rangiku whispered. "In the end, you drink so much that you black out and can't remember anything. But the pain always comes back and you continue to drink. You begin to rely on the alcohol to the point where it starts to control your life."

Rangiku opened her eyes. The sclera of her eyes were tinged with red. "The truth is, Ichigo, the reason why I'm still here is not because of my alcoholism. I grew out of that a while ago. I can't check myself out because the pain is still there. It's like an invisible hand is digging a knife into my chest and twisting it."

"What…happened?" Ichigo felt guilty for asking, but he couldn't stop himself and something told him that Rangiku was going to anyway.

Rangiku gazed back out the window, leaning her shoulder against the couch. "My life used to be perfect. I had lots of friends and was engaged to a man I loved." Rangiku's voice cracked when she said the last word. "Rain took that all away."

Somewhere in his head, Ichigo thought he heard the sound of rain drops splashing over the concrete sidewalk and the screams of a woman.

"It was the night before my wedding," Rangiku murmured. "My fiancee, Gin, was driving me home. We were joking and singing along to the radio." Rangiku's lips twitched upward slightly. "I still remember which song…'Eleanor Rigby.'"

The tiny smile disappeared immediately. "All of a sudden, we saw this flash of light and heard honking and tires screeching. I woke up the next morning in the hospital and Gin…" Rangiku choked. Her eyes filled with tears. "Gin didn't make it."

"Rangiku…" Ichigo pulled her close, her head resting against the crook of his neck. A rush of cold shot down his spine when her tears slid down his neck. "I'm sorry…"

Rangiku swallowed. "There's never been a day where I don't ask myself, why? Why did I survive and Gin didn't? No one has been able to tell me." She looked up at Ichigo. Her blue eyes seemed to be pleading for an answer.

Ichigo scratched his head as he decided on a response. "Life…is not fair," He said slowly. "When everything seems perfect, She has a way of ruining it." Ichigo paused. "But She doesn't have the power to destroy hope. The only ones with the power to do that, are the people themselves."

Feeling much more confident, Ichigo said, "I'm an atheist, but what if there is a place called Heaven? What if Gin is living there right now, and watching you? I bet he's thinking, 'Rangiku, don't give up! There's always hope in the future!'" Rangiku sobbed.

Ichigo took a deep breath. "I understand that your bond with Gin was strong. It's unbreakable. Nothing will be able to negate what happened in the past. I know I'm being redundant, but it's true. There is hope in the future. Always. You were given another chance to live, a chance to prove that nothing can stop you. Do you understand, what that means? If you throw that chance away, you're only giving Life the satisfaction is lusts for. Don't let that happen, fight back! If you don't want to do it for yourself, do it for Gin!"

A shadow flitted over Rangiku's face, so Ichigo couldn't see her expression. It suddenly got so quiet, a pin could drop and Ichigo would be able to hear it. The quiet discomforted Ichigo.

All of a sudden, Rangiku stood up and began walking away.

"W-Where are you going?" Ichigo asked as he got up.

Rangiku halted. Without turning around, she said, "It's dinner now, isn't it? We should go." But she didn't move.

Ichigo hesitated. "Just out of curiosity, but…why did you tell me everything just now?"

For a long moment, Rangiku didn't reply. Ichigo wondered if it was wrong for him to ask. He opened his mouth to apologize.

Rangiku glanced back and…smiled. "Because, Ichigo…the moment I met you, I felt as if I could trust you with my life."

Ichigo's jaw dropped and Rangiku laughed. Her laugh was a clear, melodic sound.

"Let's go!" Rangiku took Ichigo's hand and dragged him down the hallway. As they ran, Ichigo couldn't help but think of the famous saying, "There's more than meets the eye."

That saying couldn't have felt more true than it did now.

**Surprise, surprise! Rangiku's past has to do with Gin. **

**I know some of you are wondering where this story is going. Don't worry, the next chapter will move the plot along. I'll try to post it as soon as possible. **

**Thanks for your patience! xoxo**


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